Podcast Summary: Todo Concostrina – “El bombardeo fascista del mercado central de Alicante”

Host: Nieves Concostrina
Co-host: Carla
Date: May 25, 2023

Overview of the Episode

In this special episode of Acontece que no es poco, Nieves Concostrina and Carla revisit the tragic anniversary of the fascist bombing of Alicante’s central market on May 25, 1938. With her signature sharp irreverence, Nieves challenges the historical silence and distortion surrounding this massacre during the Spanish Civil War. She recounts not only the brutal facts of the attack, but also explores its aftermath, memory, and persistent erasure in Spanish public discourse.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Context and the Day of the Bombing

• Civilian Massacre, Not Warfare:
  • The bombing was a calculated attack on civilians, not military targets.
  • Occurred on May 25, 1938, at Alicante’s bustling central market during a time of war-inflicted hunger.
• Misinformation and Circumstances:
  • Many victims were drawn to the market by false rumors of fresh food: “muchos alicantinos hacían cola para pillar género. Estamos hablando de un año de hambre.” (Nieves, 00:54)
• Deliberate Timing:
  • Attack ordered by Franco at the hour of greatest market activity to maximize casualties – nearly 400 dead, over 1,000 wounded.
  • “Franco ordenó el bombardeo del mercado de abastos de Alicante en el momento de máxima afluencia para matar, por supuesto, al mayor número de personas posibles.” (Nieves, 00:54)

2. Cultural and Historical Memory

• The Silence After the Bombing:
  • The tragedy was followed by “40 años impuesto por la dictadura y otros 40 años de disimulo de la farsante transición.” (Nieves, 03:51)
  • Lack of an iconic figure like Picasso (as with Guernica) contributed to the event’s obscurity: “Le faltó un Picasso y le ha sobrado un silencio...” (Nieves, 03:51)
• Comparison with Other Massacres:
  • Similar atrocities (Badajoz, la ‘desbandá’, Constantina) were also deliberately silenced or downplayed.

3. Motives Behind the Bombing

• Terror as a Tactic:
  • The bombing was meant to break civilian morale, a hallmark of fascist terror strategies: “para desmoralizar a la población tácticas de guerra para aterrorizar.” (Nieves, 05:18)
  • Nieves cuts with irony: “...que la patria es el último refugio de los cobardes, que dijo aquel. Y como cobarde fue Franco...” (Nieves, 05:18)
• Execution Details:
  • Italian fascist planes, operating from bases in the Balearic Islands, evaded air raid detection by approaching inland.
  • The infamous market siren never sounded due to this trick: “los sistemas de localización no detectaron... los nueve aviones... entraron Alicante desde tierra en vez de desde el mar.” (Nieves, 07:40)
  • 90 bombs dropped in two passes over the market and nearby streets; attack lasted about 15 minutes, beginning at 11:18 a.m. (Nieves, 07:40)

4. Ongoing Silence and Struggles for Memorialization

• Generational Silence:
  • Many families lost relatives but in most cases “no se decía… todo Alicante sabía de alguien que estuvo o tuvo algún familiar aquella mañana en el Mercado Central.” (Nieves, 09:16)
• Official Memorialization:
  • Original 1947 plaque in the Alicante cemetery (placed during Franco’s regime) euphemistically called the massacre a “fatal accidente.”
    • Quote on the plaque: “Perdieron sus vidas por fatal accidente. Dediquemos una oración.” (Nieves, 09:16)
  • Only in 2010 was the plaza officially renamed “Plaza 25 de Mayo”. Initial resistance by local government (PP) to acknowledging “aviación italiana fascista” in public commemoration. Franco’s and the coup’s responsibility remains mostly unstated (Nieves, 10:50).
• Present-Day Remembrance:
  • Contemporary acts of memory are minimal—a handful of people and representatives leave flowers, while political posters, even from the Falange (historic fascist party), are displayed nearby.
  • “...al ladito de ese memorial unos carteles electorales de la Falange. Los mismos que celebraron el bombardeo...” (Nieves, 12:04)

5. Recommendations for Listeners

• Visit the Site:
  • Suggestion to visit the market, see the stopped clock at 11:15 and the silent siren: “Que busquen el antiguo reloj parado a la hora del bombardeo... guardado junto a la sirena que... avisaba de los bombardeos aéreos y que no sonó aquel día.” (Nieves, 05:18)
• Literary Perspective:
  • Novel recommendation: “Cuando ya no quede nadie” by Esther López Barceló, which reconstructs the bombing’s story from both personal and historical memory.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Historical Whitewashing:
  • “Se encargan de que España salga trompicones del hoyo de la desmemoria.” (Nieves, 03:51)
• On the Tragedy’s Obscurity:
  • “Hubo lugares que hubieran querido tener su Picasso... Pasa mucho y es muy injusto que sobre bombardeos mucho más graves y masacres tremendas se haya impuesto el silencio.” (Nieves, 03:51)
• On Motives and Morality:
  • “Ya se sabe que la patria es el último refugio de los cobardes, que dijo aquel. Y como cobarde fue Franco y todos los golpistas cuando masacraban a civiles y negaban después haberlo hecho.” (Nieves, 05:18)
• On the Persistence of Political Amnesia:
  • “El PP de Alicante estaba preocupado por herir las sensibilidades de los fascistas, de los que bombardearon. Seguramente porque el PP cree que lo del mercado fue un fatal accidente, digo yo.” (Nieves, 10:50)
• On Remembrance Today:
  • “Apenas ha habido un puñado de personas y un par de representantes políticos... ante la indiferencia de una mayoría que entraba a comprar puerros o salía con unos boquerones.” (Nieves, 12:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:24] — Carla introduces the theme and context: the bombing of May 25, 1938.
• [00:54] — Nieves details the attack’s execution and impact.
• [03:38] — Carla and Nieves discuss the lack of cultural memory (the “missing Picasso” effect).
• [05:14] — Motives for the bombing and the cruelty of terror as a war tactic.
• [07:34] — Carla questions the failure of the market’s warning siren.
• [07:40] — Nieves explains the military strategy behind the undetected attack.
• [08:54] — Discussion of postwar silence and later memorialization efforts.
• [10:41] — Critique of insufficient remembrance and the reluctance to name perpetrators.
• [12:04] — Contemporary memory: neglected remembrance, fascist presence in public memory.

Concluding Remarks

This episode is an unflinching microhistory of the Alicante market bombing: a case study in both the horror of civilian targeting and the persistent whitewashing of Spanish Civil War atrocities. Nieves Concostrina’s narrative voice insists on the need for truthful memory and points listeners toward personal and national acts of remembrance.

For further exploration, Nieves recommends visiting the Alicante market’s memorial and reading historian Esther López Barceló’s work for a deeper, more personal understanding of the event.