The Partido Popular is Spain's main centre-right party, the party of previous prime minister Mariano Rajoy. The party's deputy spokesperson, Fernando Martínez Maillo, acknowledged in a tweet that general Francisco Franco was a dictator. Many of the replies, however, several claiming to be from his party's voters, are not happy with the description.
"Franco was a fully-fledged dictator, like Lenin or Hitler. Those of us who suffered under the dictator in our own families, we call things by their names. But nobody should be confused about our position as a party over some unfortunate statements," he wrote.
And here's a sample of the replies:
Translation: You're more ignorant than you appear. Study all those you quote a little and you'll see the atrocity you've said. By the way, how are you doing in a party founded by Francoist ministers?
Thanks to you all remaining in the PP the majority of the people are abandoning you.
You're a liar and an ignorant snob. You didn't suffer any dictatorship because, furthermore, there wasn't one. Those of us who have been suffering from the outrages of the little dictators of the politicians since 1975 are the Spanish people!
You are the embarrassment of the PP. You're preparing subsidised primaries to manipulate the membership vote, you're shamelessly allying yourself with Soraya [Sáenz de Santamaría, Rajoy's former deputy PM] and you're taking on the language of Podemos. Go home.
I believe that [new PP leader] Pablo Casado has to remove the black sheep from the party if he wants to triumph, and more so now that many are starting to recognise that all the accusations from the bitter left are unfounded, many of us have always believed you.
PP is going to disappear, as UCD disappeared, and for the same reason, for betraying Spain.
Franco freed Spain from dictators like Stalin, Castro, Mao, etc... What you've got to do is read, study and then give thanks.