Some foreigners here will be surprised to learn that political prisoners from Motril were sent to die in the Nazi concentration-camp of Mauthhausen.

It was two years ago that the Asociación 14 de Abril pushed for the installation of a plaque called, Stumbling Blocks (Stolpersteine) in Motril, bearing the names of locals who lost their lives in that death camp.

Stolpersteine are small, brass-capped, concrete cubes laid into cobblestone streets in front of the last known residences of victims of the Nazi regime (1933–1945), acting as a decentralised memorial, which are the fruit of an international project started by German artist, Gunter Demnig.

Mauthausen Camp held thousands of Spanish-Republicans prisoners. After fighting in the Civil War, they continued their anti-fascist resistance in France, only to be captured by the advancing Germans and sent to camps. Of the more than 7,000 Spaniards deported to the Mauthausen-Gusen complex with the full approval of Franco, nearly half did not survive.

One cruel feature of the camp were the The Stairs of Death (Todesstiege) with its 186 steep, uneven granite steps in the Mauthausen concentration camp’s Wiener Graben quarry, where inmates were forced to carry heavy stone blocks (often over 50kg) while facing brutal violence, exhaustion, and intentional killing by SS guards between 1942 and 1944.

Towards the end of the war, the surving prisoners were sent on a death march from the camp to Linz in the snow with virtually no clothing. (See Photo). How they managed to survive that…

Among those Spanish prisoners were dozens from Granada and, specifically, a group from Motril, whose names and details are listed below.

The Asociación 14 de Abril has repeatedly denounced the lack of institutional recognition for these local victims. On this occasion, marking the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the camp on the 5th of May 1945, the association wanted to share their stories and demand a dignified remembrance for those who fought fascism in both Spain and Europe.

“These people from Motril not only fought for the Republic in our land, but later faced Nazism and paid with their freedom and even their lives. It is our duty to keep their memory alive and pass it on to new generations,”stated the association.

The association invited citizens to participate in or support the events organised for this anniversary yesterday as a way to honour the anti-fascist struggle and defend democratic values.

This commemoration was especially relevant in a context where full recognition is still being sought for the Spanish victims of Nazism, who were the only political prisoners unable to return freely to their country after liberation due to the Franco dictatorship.

A list of Motrileños who died in Mauthausen Camp :

• Antúnez Medina, Antonio — Born 1903 in Motril. Died 01/10/1942 in Mauthausen.
• Benegas Fernández, Francisco — Born 24/12/1899 in Motril. Died 08/11/1941 in Gusen.
• Berja Domínguez, Manuel — Born 15/07/1914 in Motril. Died 24/11/1941 in Gusen.
• Blanco Morales, Antonio — Born 01/01/1917 in Motril. Died 20/01/1942 in Gusen.
• Castro Mingorance, José — Born 01/08/1917 in Motril. Died 21/11/1941 in Gusen.
• Esteban Carrascosa, Antonio — Born 15/11/1913 in Motril. Died 10/12/1941 in Gusen. (Arrived at Mauthausen 27/09/1940, prisoner No. 4,464).
• Estévez Gutiérrez, Antonio — Born 19/01/1917 in Motril. Died 29/11/1941 in Gusen.
• Fernández Ortega, Antonio — Born 30/12/1917 in Motril. Died 19/09/1941 in Gusen.
• Giménez Arilla, Andrés — Born 15/08/1898 in Motril. Died 02/12/1941 in Gusen.
• González López, José — Born 13/05/1913 in Motril. Died 05/11/1942 in Gusen.
• González Vilches, Antonio — Born 05/11/1913 in Motril. Died 12/01/1942 in Gusen.
• Lorenzo Guardia, Antonio — Born 21/09/1909 in Motril. Died 13/11/1941 in Gusen.
• Manzano Murillo, Juan — Born 15/01/1910 in Motril. Died 22/11/1941 in Gusen (aged 31).
• Rodríguez Díaz, Antonio — Born 15/07/1915 in Motril. Died 26/09/1941 in Gusen.
• Sánchez Pérez, Ramón — Born 08/01/1898 in Motril. Died 14/11/1941 in Gusen.
• Vallecillo Sánchez, Antonio — Born 13/08/1917 in Motril. Died 02/01/1942 in Gusen.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Motrileños in Mauthausen Camp, Plaque, Stolpersteine, Todesstiege, In Memory Of, Spanish Civil War, Republicans

news, andalucia, granada, costa tropical, motril, motrileños in mauthausen camp, plaque, stolpersteine, todesstiege, in memory of, spanish civil war, republicans