An event of remembrance and vindication brought together in Terrassa three of the protagonists of the historic rally by the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) held fifty years ago at the Sferic pavilion. This event, considered the first communist rally in Spain after Franco's death, was a significant challenge to the decaying Francoist regime.
Magda Segura, Joan Busquet, and Joan Monterde shared their experiences from that day, May 29, 1976. Although other key figures like Roc Fuentes could not attend due to illness and Rafael Zoyo had to return to Granada, the presence of Domènec Martínez, who was in prison at the time, added special symbolic value to the gathering. The event, organized by the Democratic Memory group and the Pensioners' Union of Comisiones Obreras of Valles Occidental and Central Catalonia, took place at the Municipal Auditorium and drew parallels with the current political situation.
Magda Segura, the only woman who spoke at that semi-clandestine, semi-tolerated rally, recalled the event's magnitude: "It was historic because of the number of people who attended, which we didn't expect." The turnout was massive, with around 6,000 people inside the Sferic pavilion and an estimated 2,000 more outside, a figure that exceeded all expectations. Segura highlighted that "these types of actions made the regime partially concede and grant freedoms to political parties and unions."
The rally's celebration required complex negotiations with the police commissioner of the Political-Social Brigade, Aníbal Martínez, who acted as a controller and guarantor to prevent intervention by riot police. Joan Busquet, head of the local PSUC committee, was the key intermediary in these negotiations, appealing to the commissioner's sensitivity. Busquet recalled how he defended the slogan "Socialism in freedom," emphasizing the desire for democracy rather than doctrinaire communism.
Despite internal disputes that would later split the PSUC, the spirit of change united various sensibilities. Pau Monterde, an architect and future director of the Institut del Teatre, emphasized the collective perception of an unstoppable process towards democracy. "We didn't know how, but we saw that it would all blow up," he stated.
Magda Segura also focused on the feminist demands of that rally, calling for rights and freedoms for women, including sexual rights and the right to abortion, topics that were taboo at the time. Facing the resurgence of the far-right, Segura warned about the need to remember what the dictatorship entailed and to refute false narratives about those times.
Joan Busquet contextualized the current moment as a "resettling of political spaces towards increasingly defensive positions," with widespread concern for the future and distrust towards politicians. The event was attended by councilors from various local parties and by the Comuns deputy in the Congress, Aina Vidal. To conclude, the installation of a commemorative plaque at the Sferic pavilion was announced.
