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Tribute to the Democratic Military Union on its 50th anniversary

11/10/2024

Ateneo de Madrid, October 11, 2024 The event “Anniversary of the UMD, 50 years of the beginning of democracy in the Army”, organized by the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, pays tribute to the twelve officers who, on September 1, 1974, gathered to lay the foundations of a clandestine organization of military democrats who sought to achieve in Spain a social change inspired by the “revolution of the carnation” of Portugal.

The Ateneo de Madrid has hosted the act of tribute on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Democratic Military Union (UMD) organized by the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, which has had the participation of some of its protagonists, the former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez.

The UMD was founded on September 1, 1974. That is, a few months after, on April 25, the “revolution of the carnation”, led by the MFA (Movimento das Forças Armadas), put an end to the dictatorship created in Portugal in 1933, by Oliveira Salazar and continued by Marcelo Caetano.

It was born in a clandestine meeting, held in Barcelona, by twelve soldiers of deep democratic convictions: a commander, Luis Otero, and eleven captains: Guillermo Reinlein, Julio Busquets, Gabriel Cardona, Antonio Miralles, José Sagrada, Santiago Perinat, Juan Diego, José Julve, Enrique López Amor, Jesús Martín Consuegra and Julián Delgado. All of them had been trained at the General Military Academy, they came from families of Francoist ideology, and they had a superior preparation to that of the chiefs and officers of the Army of Franco, not only for their military specialty, but also for having a university degree.

The UMD aligned itself with the democratic postulates of the political parties of the opposition to Franco’s regime, but without its members being integrated into them. They were, therefore, repressed and imprisoned after a farce of trial.

The Council of Ministers on December 4, 2009 approved an Institutional Declaration of recognition to members of the Armed Forces in the transition to democracy, with special mention to the Democratic Military Union (UMD).

During the tribute ceremony, the former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was interviewed by the journalist of RTVE, Xabier Fortes, son of Xosé Fortes, one of the 12 soldiers of the UMD, who in turn moderated the round table composed by Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Reinlein, the widow of Captain Antonio Herrero, Rosa Laviña, the professor of Contemporary History at the University of Huelva, Encarnación Lemus, and the Councilor of Navío, Councilor of Clairas.

The event “Anniversary of the UMD, 50 years of the beginning of democracy in the Army” has ended with the interpretation of a string quartet of the Katarina Gurska Foundation interpreting “Grândola Vila Morena”, by José Afonso, to which the attendees have joined.