Paul Preston - historian and writer - speaking on 'International Solidarity and the Spanish Civil War' at Jubilee Gardens during the IBMT 2016 Annual Commemoration in London on 2nd July 2016.
The noise of two circling helicopters - part of the surveillance arrangements for the Referendum demonstration taking place the same afternoon in central London - provided a backing track to the speakers and singers - perhaps indicative of our times. The shrieks of children at play in the park beside the International Brigades memorial could also be heard throughout the afternoon. You can hear both the mechanical drone of the helicopters and the joyous calls of children in the background as Paul Preston speaks.
In his talk Paul Preston quoted from these authors:
Gustav Regler (1898 – 1963) a German socialist novelist and political commissar of the XII International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War.
Alfred Kazin (1915 – 1998) an American writer, intellectual and commentator
Josephine Herbst (1892-1969) an American 'left wing' novelist
The film Josephine Herbst went to see in 1966 her reaction to which Paul Preston quotes, was 'Mourir à Madrid' ('To Die in Madrid') by the French documentary film maker Frédéric Rossif (1922 – 1990). The film can be seen in its entirety on YouTube at https://youtu.be/9rX6PuHpRvE Clips from the film were shown at this years IBMT Len Crome Memorial Conference.
In conclusion Paul Preston said: "The Spanish Civil War was, to my mind, the last great cause. The beacon of international solidarity, it is a repository of those values of solidarity. And now, in terms of what is happening in this country ... now more than ever we need to remember the need to continue to struggle for international solidarity. La lucha continua!"
Professor Paul Preston is Director of the Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies. His books on Franco and the Spanish Civil War - most recently 'The Spanish Holocaust' and 'The Last Days of the Republic' - form a bedrock for studies of the International Brigades. Paul Preston is the founding patron of the IBMT - the International Brigades Memorial Trust.
For more information about the IBMT and it's activities see www.international-brigades.org.uk
Film and production Marshall Mateer.
