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The Spanish government has renewed the dukedom that dictator Francisco Franco granted posthumously to the Falange party founder and iconic hero of Spanish fascism, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, in 1948, as digital newspaper El Español reports.

The announcement of the renovation of the title of Duke of Primo de Rivera, and Grandee of Spain was published in the Spanish government's official gazette on Saturday, having been requested by the Falange party founder's great-grand-nephew, whose father, the 3rd Duke of Primo de Rivera died in 2018.

Spain's Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH) was strongly critical of Pedro Sánchez's acting Spanish government over the decision, wondering why democracy continued to recognize fascist leaders. "Isn't this offensive to the victims?" asked the ARMH in a tweet.

José Antonio Primo de Rivera, himself the son of Spain's 1920s dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera, founded the Falange Española in 1933, the extreme-right party which provided the ideological foundation for Franco's murderous dictatorship. "José Antonio", as he became affectionately known by Spanish fascists, died in the first months of the Spanish civil war in 1936. Under Francoism he was regarded as a martyr and became a cult figure.

This news comes a month after Spain's justice ministry announced that it was considering a law change to withdraw all the titles granted during the Franco regime.