Two activists who were protesting topless against fascism in Spain were sexually assaulted after a man approached them and touched their breasts.
Astonishing footage shows two half-naked women standing outside a Madrid church where a mass was being held for the anniversary of the death of Spain’s fascist dictator Francisco Franco on Thursday evening.
Wearing only trousers, the women held up posters as supporters of Franco gathered outside the Parroquia de Doce Apostoles church located in the affluent Salamanca neighbourhood in the Spanish capital.
As they chanted their anti-fascism slogans, an unnamed man approached one of the women and placed his hand on her left breast.
The woman quickly backed away from him, shouting: ‘Sir, don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!’
Her companion rushed to stand in between them, but the man – who was wrapped in a flag from the Franco era – continued his assault and turned on the second woman, groping her as well.
Despite the man’s appalling behaviour, the activists continued to chant, while onlookers shouted derogatory slurs at them and reprimanded them for protesting outside the church.
The disturbing incident was captured on camera by several Spanish media outlets, as journalists had gathered outside the church to cover the service for the late dictator.
Two activists who were protesting topless against fascism in Spain were sexually assaulted by a man who touched their breasts
A counter-protester holds a flag next to activists from the feminist group Femen during a protest on the 50th anniversary of Spain’s late dictator Francisco Franco’s death, in Madrid, Spain, November 20, 2025
The incident sparked outrage across Spain, with several politicians and activists condemning the assault of the two activists.
Spain’s Equalities Minister said in a statement on X: ‘How utterly unashamed must one feel to assault two women right in front of the cameras.
‘Fifty years have passed and some people haven’t learned a thing, but society in general has, and we no longer tolerate the abuse of women or the admiration of a dictator. Our bodies are our own.’
As worshippers left the the religious ceremony, several dozen attendees stood outside the parish, where they chanted ‘Long live Franco’, and shouted insults against Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Spain has seen a spike in support for the country’s far-right in recent years, reviving memories of Franco and burnishing his legacy despite the left-wing government seeking to eradicate symbols of the nation’s fascist past.
A survey by state‑run pollster CIS last month showed that more than 21 percent of Spaniards saw the Franco era as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ for the country, compared to 11 percent when asked a similar question in 2000.
Spaniards are largely split along the right-left divide over how to handle the legacy of the four-decade dictatorship that followed the 1936-39 civil war, which ended with Franco’s death 50 years ago on Thursday at age 82.
Democratic Spain has done little of the soul-searching of other nations with troubled pasts like South Africa, with its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or Chile, with the jailing of generals from its past military regime.
Since coming to office in 2018, the Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has stepped up efforts.
It has exhumed the remains of victims of Francoism, designated sites of repression as places of ‘democratic memory’, removed Franco-era symbols from public spaces, and run advertising campaigns about the benefits of democracy.
The conservative People’s Party and far-right Vox are contesting those measures in court, calling them divisive and partisan by focusing only on victims from one side.
Fifty years after General Franco death, which paved the way for Spain’s democratisation and modernisation, the dictator’s figure remains divisive in the country
People gesture the Roman salute on the 50th anniversary of the late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s death, at an informal shrine, at the entrance to Franco’s mausoleum in Madrid’s Mingorrubio-El Pardo cemetery, Spain, November 20, 2025
Defenders of the dictator say life was more affordable under Franco compared to the current housing and cost-of-living crises disproportionately affecting young Spaniards. However, all economic indicators have improved significantly since Franco died.
They also cite Franco’s public works such as dams, hospitals and housing, as well as containing the spread of Communism or preserving the unity of European Union member state Spain.
Historians say Franco’s regime executed tens of thousands of dissidents, operated a vast network of prisons and forced-labour camps, and tortured detainees.
Political parties, trade unions and regional separatist movements were banned while women needed permission from their husbands or fathers for basic administrative procedures.
Censorship and secret police enforced Franco’s blend of Spanish nationalism and ultra-Catholicism. Millions went into exile fleeing repression and famine.
