October ’34 in some countries of the Spanish State was a workers uprising, a Revolution that unfortunately was defeated. The most powerful of the uprising was in Asturias, our neighbour, with the miners in front of the struggle. But in Cantabria the fight wasn’t small and the revolutionaries and workers fought bravely.
During a period of more than ten days all around the Country many bridges were blow, many sabotages were made, many armed fights with the State forces, many strikes, demos and marches, many head-quarters of right-wing and fascists organizations were attacked, many clubs of rich and healthy people were attacked, in some councils the workers declare the Communism and the Red Flag of Liberty flies in top, many workers died in the barricades and the fights, many workers were wounded, many suffer afterwards trial, and thousand were imprison…
Reinforcements from outside Cantabria were brought to defeat this popular and socialist uprising. State forces, police and army killed many workers…
They take control of the country with brought more suffer to the People after the defeat. Many, most of the working class families had or know someone in prison. In Santander even a ship was made available as a prison, for more than 1500 revolutionaries, because all the prisons and camps were full. The censorship was an open reality as in many stages of the Spanish –capitalist- Republic.
From this point, the left-wing realized that some sort of unity was need, and of course the struggle for amnesty for the political prisoners was a central issue for all the working class and revolutionaries organizations.
This was the picture till the elections of February of 1936, when a big change was going to happen. The Popular Front won the State Elections. This event had influence in the all the State, in all the countries, even in that ones where the right-wing was more powerful and the have more influence in the People than the left.
Many people said that from this point the Army, Church and Fascist started to organized the fascist coup d'etat. This was the initial idea, but the resistance and the division of the people between lefts and rights in many places develop the situation to a bloody civil war that last three years.
But the fact is that was no Civil War in Cantabria. The fascist were defeated the first day. It was a simple and open invasion from outside by the fascist forces.
The first event of the bloody fight that was going to come, was the coward murder of Luciano Malumbres. This man was a very respectful journalist with clear ideals and a political activist. Also director of the Cantabrist left-wing and revolutionary newspaper “La Region” Himself was a clear cantabrist and socialist. With time he developed himself politically from socialism to communist ideals, but keeping the love ant interest for his Country.
The editorial line was since many years ago (since Monarchy times) that the Republican fight was not only to achieve a Spanish Republic. Was, or need to be, a fight to achieve a Confederal Republic of States, in which Cantabria had its own Republic-State. Of course a real democratic and socialistic one.
In June of 36 he was in a bar of Santander was playing cards with some friends when a fascist terrorist brought from Madrid that was in a table near him waiting for the moment… shoot him cowardly killing Malumbres. The fascist tried to escape but the people of the bar caught him and was killed. Another man related with this coward murder was killed in the city the next day.
The people was shocked. Luciano Malumbres was loved and respect by the mayority of the working class that see in him a honest leader, a true defender of their interest and of the interest of Cantabria.
The day of the funeral the mass demonstration of pain and respect for the coward action was impressive. Thousands and thousand of persons pack the central streets of Santander. Even the right-wing leaders were impress by such a demonstration and popular respond. The elder people that were really young kids and the time remember it as an impressive da