The Reaction of the Public to the Coup

The photograph shows the interior of the A Coruña civil government building, which was destroyed by rebel bombardment on 20 July 1936. On its own, it undermines the longstanding story that the assault on power in Galicia was bloodless and that there was little resistance to the coup. As soon as news that an armed insurrection had taken place in Morocco on 17 July, groups of people were gathering in the main cities and district centres across Galicia to support the political and union leaders who were meeting in town halls and civil government buildings.

In the streets, citizens protected political leaders who immediately took a stand against the coup. In Vigo, the military were booed by the crowd while the declaration of war was being read out, which provoked a massacre that left 27 people dead. In A Coruña, barricades were built and manned by civilians and Assault Guards to protect the Civil Government, and the rebels used cannon to end the resistance. In Santiago, the Obradoiro Square in front of the cathedral filled with people ready to defend the legal government.  The repetition of such scenes forced the rebels to use force to smash the barricades. The destruction and the deaths – more than one hundred between 20 and 22 July - caused by these confrontations left their traces in the streets.

AMM