Conxa Interview with Perez, militia of the revolution muted and misrepresented the 36 (text) Mafiaa - How do you feel here in this residence?
Here? At first I felt a little strange, but I'm getting. I receive many visits and help me
- Concha, will appeal to readers to come see you and bring you flowers and books you enjoy reading. (Private and Oriol Beltran, street Cardener, 4-6, Barceloneta)
Yes, books, because when I have visitors, I spend the day reading.
- There are few people who read as much as you. Today, Shell, young people no longer read books.
I read until the day before I die, so to speak.
- What training did you have? I trained as an anarchist
soon, because my father was one of the founders of the CNT, and my older brother was also an anarchist. At home they were meeting. My father's friends came and we learned things. At school I was very little. I liked going to school. When I saw there closed, I went through the fields, and sat in a trunk to read. In the neighborhood of the Cortes, there were many fields of vegetables.
- So you were not going to school ... Not much. - Did you go to the rationalist schools? Nor
. When I was little there was, it was the epoch of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and closed. Going to normal schools, public, where we paid something. What happens is that my father put in jail every now and took me out of school because they could afford. There were 6 brothers. And as he left jail me back to school, but maybe then was not the same school. The father wanted us to learn. Total I have come to study more and had none. I've been self taught.
- You say you Yes I enjoyed reading
I have spent my life reading. Since childhood he was always with a book, if she would take one I had to read.
- What you reading? There were novels that I liked, the "ideal" I also read a Fe-Deric Montseny, the novels of his father Federico Urals, Victor Hugo, Bakunin, etc.. After the Athenian Lighthouses, we discussed books, we were reading, learned to write, do math. And there Esperanto courses, psychology, sexuality, naturism.
- What are the people who most influenced you?
Carrasquer Brothers, who wanted to form rationalist school. In the fellow Corts district also wanted to create a rationalist school. I was lucky enough to have made friends with them. Influenced me very positively.
- Do you have a letter from his father? A letter, an article of yours?
No, my father was illiterate, a man of action. Participated in the union of the CNT, in the lyceum. Sometimes they escape to the police, because when they came to search the Carretas street, had a way to leave behind and go to stop another street. I have only one picture of him. I have not written anything. I explain what I experienced, I remember. In yes I change my elder brother who wrote songs, sang, participated in theater and in the chorus of Athenian.
- How long did you live in the Corts? I emancipated young girl, must be 19 years. My mother did not know to act so freely. Going to meetings and arrived very late at night. I also claimed that boys and girls we worked equally in household chores. But what really made me go was the relationship with Martorell. Parents did not like because he was wanted for robberies he had done for the Organization and also for him. And I could commit to me and my brother. Martorell was at that time the enemy number 1. I did contact him and buy him food. At Christmas I would go home from a friend who was alone. The mother told me: "If you're not on Christmas at home, find a place to live, do not come back." I as I wanted, I left. First home of some friends that I left a room Torrassa, then with a friend rented an apartment. My mother suffered a lot and was worried about me. I did not want to go to jail like my father and my older brother.
- if you did not and ended up going to jail. Tell us how it was.
was in a general strike. We were a group to close factories. In a we resistance and began to throw stones. Wine assault guards on horseback. A colleague handed me a gun telling me that I would register. We started to run and run. We stopped and took us back to the factory. Some said said: "They are. Are these. " The police wanted him to say that the gun belonged to my brother. And I told them I had found. Finally the fellow passed me, he took responsibility. I had about 5 months in prison. There I read a lot.
- Remember the advent of the Republic on May 1931?. We went to the rally
Fine Arts at the Arc de Triomf. There were many people. One speaker was in Garcia Oliver. When we went out in protest at the Plaza Sant Jaume to go and claim a set of demands to the president Macià: cheaper rents and improvements for workers. In Sant Jaume was shooting. With the riots, I lost my mother and my brothers and I saw on the floor at one protester dead. I was very impressed.
- Lights were going to ateneo. Yes
located on Avenida Mistral, but we were a lot of Les Corts and Sants. García Oliver, who was a waiter at Sants, we were taught to use weapons. Manuel Escorza was the head of a panel of IAF, and engaged in counter-Fascist persecution, sexuality and taught us culture talks. He was a born teacher, lived in the Corts. Mauritius, which was my final companion, it was carrying, as it was invalid, the Athenian headlights to make speeches. He was very intelligent. His house was full of books and always surrounded by young people. In the 36 to me asked me to join the group of IAF intelligence, which he managed. I was very fond of him, but I refused.
- On July 19, 1936, where were you and what did you do?
The comrades of the FAI, the Athenian Lighthouses, were gathered Feds in the bar, near the Corts (London street). We were already warned of a military coup. We went to the Pedralbes barracks where the troops had already left. The soldiers were no resistance. And trucks filled weapons. In the rush and excitement let us ammunition. We had to go back. What we left the bar the Feds, who was a teacher, the headquarters of our group of IAF, an affinity group.
Pedralbes What were you armed?
Yes I was with a pistol he gave me a few days before my father. And lost. For some time it ask my dad.
"A great legacy! What else did you do?
went to the Modelo prison to free the prisoners. When we were ready to go. Martorell thought to find, but did not see it. A week ago, I dreamed two nights Martorell. I've lived what I lived with him, like right now.
- Why?
A friend taught me a few days ago shot lists and documents of how he was caught and killed. It has affected me a lot, so I dreamed.
- In the Revolution, do you dream? I do not remember ... live the revolution, I did not dream about it.
- When you were front? Early. In the Corts was organizing a century to go forward and I joined. We were the "Eaglets of Corts', 100 volunteers. Went to Caspe. I was until some time after he ordered the militarization of militias and the return of women.
- No parrots ...
was a time of struggle, day after day. There were always things to do and we did everything with enthusiasm. We believe that the revolution would succeed and would release even Portugal.
- What was the happiest time you lived?
This time of revolution. In Barcelona I worked in a factory and we collectivize lipstick and convert back to a weapons factory in the service of revolution. I was on the committee. It was a very enriching and interesting. Lathes and began buying what we needed to produce bullets and investigate how to make more weapons. Everyone worked for the revolution. I remember as a very happy time of my life. It was the right moment to transform the world.
- May 37, the Communists led by Stalin intended to stop the revolution and lead the events of May in Barcelona. What do you remember?
Eran días de mucha confusión. Me pidieron ir al centro de Barcelona al Comité de la CNT a buscar información
de lo que pasaba. Una compañera dijo
que me acompañaba. Finalmente un
chico italiano con un coche recubierto
de hierros y planchas, que al final no
servían para nada, nos llevó. En Via
Laietana, a la altura de comisaría nos
tirotearon. Deberían pensar que los
queríamos atacar. El joven conductor
quedó muy malherido y a mí, que me
habían herido en una pierna, me llevaron al Clínico. Cuando pude, me escapé y volví con los compañeros.
- ¿Cuándo decides marchar al
exilio, dejarlo everything and leave the country?
At the factory with my brother we said we had to do a thought and go. People were marching. There was no one in the region. Had to make a decision. The war was lost. What held us was the wife of a colleague who was at the front. I was sick and had a child and we left it at our expense. We did not know where to leave, we wanted who could take charge. So were the last to go to France.
- What did you feel to lose everything and see the fascists took over all?
can not explain. There are no words. Is a feeling too big. Remember facts: burned everything that could be compromised. We arrived at Portbou and French had closed the border. After two days they let women and children. They took us to the border with Belgium, and after the concentration camp of Argelès in the Rosselló. There I met a practitioner of Madrid with whom I had a son, Ramon.
- How was the return to Spain?
Duro. Many adventures. I had to introduce me to the police regularly. The times made me hard. I did not know how to work and take care of the child. I had to fight much to my son grow. Until I found a fellow who live headlamps.
- And in the transition, when you join the CNT? Military had not stopped in the CNT. In 1975, several supporters, some 10, we form the trade union the CNT.
- In 1997, forms part of the group of "Gifts of the 36" .... On the association "Women of 36 ', I can speak better Llum because she created it ... (Ventura Light is a creative hairdresser friend inseparable de la Concha. It is present in the interview and accompanying Concha whenever possible)
- Llum, explain how you came up the project of "Gifts of the 36"
15 years ago I was minister of culture and equality, as an independent. Following the film Land and Freedom Ken Loach became interested in collecting testimonies from women of 36. And as my roots are libertarian, my grandfather was an anarchist Chinatown, my mother was an anarchist, and was called Freedom, I wondered what had happened to the women of my mother's generation. Hence the project. It is the first restoration projects of historical memory. We created the partnership to introduce an award from the city. We won two. There were women of all stripes, less than an anarchist. In the CNT at first did not want to work with this project in the district, but eventually I was introduced to the shell and from that day we have not discussed separately.
- What is the association dedicated "Gifts of the 36"? Women had
institutes, schools, organizations, testimony of war and revolution. It was an oral transmission of knowledge.
- Internet Browsing around I saw that in the neighborhood of Gràcia have dedicated a square to "women of 36." You planning protests a few years ago because had lattice, privatized and closed to the public.
How did it end? We did a campaign with the slogan "freedom is not put behind bars." We were protesting. Many groups support us. We urge the mayor to take out the bars, or take out the plate of 36 women. Women's 36 does not deserve a place with bars and who have suffered imprisonment, exile, concentration camps. These are people who have fought for freedom. Finally and bars have been removed or the plate. They do what they want.
- Concha, I saw in the demonstration against the Pope with the sticker "Do not wait." What do you think of this pope?
I think the same thing all the Popes, are privileged and deceive the people
- What do you think the current divisions of the syndicalists and libertarian? Fatal
. We must unite. We must put aside what divides us. How do we change the world if we do not get 15 people? If there are differences are discussed and respected, but it must be separated and fighting. I'll give you joy, Concha, yesterday in the demonstration unit of the general strike CGT, CNT, and various anarchist groups, squatters and anti we demonstrated together. It was a good thing to see demonstrations with libertarians, leaving home doctrinal differences and tactics.
- Concha, can tell us a partner for the next interview? Enric Casany. *
Interview by Bofill and Okupem Txema Ones are published in no. 125 of the magazine Catalunya
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