workingclasshistory: On this day, 3 May 1917, Spanish civil war fighter Maria Perez Lacruz was born

workingclasshistory:

On this day, 3 May 1917, Spanish civil war fighter Maria Perez Lacruz was born in Teruel, Spain. Working as a cleaner and selling vegetables, Maria became an anarchist, and with the start of the civil war and revolution joined the Iron Column militia as a nurse.
Nicknamed “La Jabalina”, she took part in the fight against the nationalist forces of general Francisco Franco until being shot in battle, leading to her being hospitalised for four months. After her recovery she worked in an arms factory then a steelworks.
Shortly after Franco’s victory La Jabalina, who was now pregnant, was arrested and interrogated about her Iron Column comrades, after which her head was shaved and she was paraded through the streets. She was then charged with a litany of crimes, most of which were committed while she was in hospital, and some of which were completely bogus, like the supposed murder of a Bolivian consul in Valencia who did not exist. La Jabalina was beaten and tortured repeatedly during three years of imprisonment but never admitted anything. Despite this, and despite the fact that people like the director of the hospital where she had been testifying in her defence, she was convicted and executed.
It is believed she gave birth in prison, but the fate of her baby is unknown. Most likely it was given up for adoption to catholic or fascist parents.
Today a public square is named after her, and she has been the subject of two books and a play. Learn more about the civil war in our podcast episodes 39-40: https://workingclasshistory.com/2020/06/17/e39-the-spanish-civil-war-an-introduction/https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1978433155675158/?type=3