Interior investigates the presence of a flag with the Cross of Burgundy in a police station

The General Directorate of the Police has ordered the opening of a “reserved information” (internal investigation) to determine the circumstances surrounding the presence of a flag with the Cross of Burgundy, one of the symbols used by the extreme right in its latest protests, in a police station in Las Palmas, as sources from the Ministry of the Interior have confirmed to EL PAÍS.

The existence of the banner as part of the decoration of official offices became known after the recent broadcast of a RTVE report that showed images of police activity during carnivals on the island.

The controversy has reached the Congress of Deputies, where Sumar, a partner in Pedro Sánchez's Government, has presented a parliamentary initiative in which he asks Fernando Grande-Marlaska's department "what responsibilities are going to be resolved."

"before the use of far-right or fascist symbols in a police station."

The images were part of information about the deployment of the police to deal with possible incidents during the massive celebrations these days in the Canary Islands capital.

They showed a police commander giving instructions to other agents in a room presided over by a Spanish flag and, just below and of a slightly larger size, the flag with the Cross of Burgundy.

Immediately afterwards, this same police official made statements to a journalist with the same background symbols.

In the parliamentary question, the parliamentary spokesperson for IU in the Sumar group, Enrique Santiago, highlights that this flag is currently used “by extreme right groups in their

performances

[some protesters of the protests that were held for weeks in front of the "The federal headquarters of the PSOE on Ferraz Street in Madrid were carried by ultra fans on the football fields."

The deputy from Sumar highlights that there are studies done by police officers [he refers to one written by a sub-inspector for use in an opposition academy] that include “this flag as a symbol of hate, precisely because it feeds back the message of fascism or national socialist ideologies, racist and intolerant in their use and display.”

In the text, Santiago recalls that the Cross of Burgundy “was adopted by the Carlists in 1935, coinciding with the reorganization of the requeté, which at that time was a clandestine paramilitary group” and adds that later “it was used by traditionalist and Carlist regiments during the Spanish civil war within the fascist side.”

In the latest far-right protests, the flag with the red cross - which represents two branches with knots - has been raised by some protesters along with other banners with historical symbols, such as the double-headed eagle, which was the emblem of the House of Habsburg or house of Austria.

On most occasions, participants in the protests showed signs of ignorance of the meaning of these and other symbols, as they revealed in their statements to the media when asked about them.

In the case of the Cross of Burgundy, it was incorporated into the Spanish flags by Philip the Fair, from the houses of Austria and Burgundy, who married Juana I of Castile (Juana la Loca), daughter of the Kings Catholics.

The cross, which has the shape of the Cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of the Burgundians), became the symbol of the empire with Charles I of Spain and V of Germany, their son.

From that moment on, the cross has been present on the royal standards - the personal flags - of the kings, although it disappeared from the Spanish flag at the end of the 18th century by decision of Charles III, who wanted to prevent the crown's ships from being confused with those of France or Naples, which also carried this cross on their naval ensigns.

Then, the flag of the ships became the red, yellow and red, which Isabel II would convert in 1843 into the emblem of Spain.

However, the Cross of Burgundy remained on the royal shields and Franco placed it on the planes of the rebellious army during the Civil War.

After his death, Juan Carlos I kept it on his coat of arms despite the symbol's connection with Francoism.

Felipe VI excluded her from his when he ascended the throne.

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