By Dilip Kuner • Published: 22 Sep 2019 • 17:23
RED faced UN officials have had to apologise after their website claimed that Spanish Republicans were responsible for the 1937 fascist bombing of Guernica.
The incident was immortalised in a painting by Pablo Picasso that became a symbol against the horrors of aerial warfare and was a pointer to the air raids of World War 2.
The UN, which has a reproduction of the painting at its New York HQ, said on its website that the Malaga-born artist painted it as a protest “against the atrocities of the Republic during the Spanish Civil War.”
In fact the bombing was carried out by German and Italian fascist forces in support of Franco in 1937, killing 130 people.
Now UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, has apologised to Spain calling it a “horrible mistake” that will be corrected immediately.
For now, the UN website has been taken down while specialists review it in case there are any other mistakes.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.