The departure of an individual can rarely have been more eagerly awaited and desired. All the photos of the grandfather at rest, all the glorious obituaries in the press cannot make the Spanish people forget that the life of Franco was covered in blood: the blood of Txiki and Otaegui, of Baena, Sanchez Bravo and Garcia Sanz; the blood of Puig Antich; the blood of all the murdered Basque nationalist revolutionaries; the blood of all the workers who have fallen under une bullets or the police; the blood of Julian Grimau and all the anti-Francoist militants killed during the years of terror; the blood of all those who fell in the civil war after the coun ter-revolutionary coup of 18 July.
Nor can they make us forget the flower of the workers' and popular movement who are stagnating in jail, those who have been tortured, and those who have been exiled. FollowIng the death of the executioner, our concern is for all the victims of nearly 40 years of dictatorship and as many years of terror and criminal repression.
For the working class, for all the oppressed, this is a time of joy. The death of Franco is a call to step up the struggle, to finish for ever with this regime of terror and misery.
The heirs of Franco - Juan Carlos, the ministers and bureaucrats of the regime, the chiefs of the army, the police, the civil guards, all the fascist vermin - will try to preserve their Inneritance and maintain the Francoist regime But for as long as the anti-Francoist militants remain locked up; for as long as the borders remain closed to the exiles; for as long as the civil guards, the politico-social brigade and all the repressive bodies continue their reign of terror; for as long as the laws of the Francoist institutions remain in force; for as long as the fascist bands pursue their terrorist acuvites alongside the otticial repression - in a word, for as long as the dictatorship does not meet the same fate as the dictator, we shall continue the struggle against its bloody heritage.
A decisive period has opened up. The departure of the supreme ledder nas opened up an internal struggle between the different fractions of the bourgeoisie, of this ruling class ities!
EVER. which tor so long nas relied on the Francoist dictatorship to enforce its exploitation of the workers.
For the exploited and the oppressed, the time has come to return to the offensive:
For the liberation of all the political prisoners, for the right of return for the exiles! - For the abolition of the Francoist legislation, and most importanty or tne anti-terrorist law .
For the dissolution of the repressive bodies and the emergency tribunals:
For a settling of accounts with all the authors of the crimes ot Prancoism.
For freedom of expression, of meeting, of association, for the right to strike and to demonstrate! - For the free self-determination of the oppressed nationalBy installing Juan Carlos on the throne they hope to give continuity to the dictatorial regime and maintain the repres sion against the workers' movement and its vanguard. No 'concession' from this same Juan Carlos, who has sworn to respect the principles of 18 July - principles which have cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of working people - can satisfy the thirst for freedom of the broad masses.
A complete amnest immeciate treecom tor air the pontical prisoners and freedom to return for all the exiles - these are the first objectives for which we must mobilise.
These are objectives which we can attain by means of the largest possible mobilisation: demonstrations outside the prisons, mass meetinos and strikes in Ine tactories, Ine scnools the neighbourhoods. By this means we will be able to go forward to inE GENERAL siRike, Tollowing the example ot Euzkadi [the Basque countryl, the example of those who have been at the head of the struggles of the masses against the Francoist repression.
TOWARDS THE GENERAL STRIKE, WHICH IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE BUT IS NOW MORE NECESSARY THAN Political Bureau of the LCR-ETA (VI) The company he keeps-Juan Carlos is seen here chatting to Chilean dictator Pinochet