Spaniards pay tribute to veteran Communist leader Carrillo
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A man raises his fist in front of the body of Spain's former Communist Party leader Santiago Carrillo at a funeral chapel in Madrid, on Sept 19, 2012. Carrillo, who played a key role in the transition from dictatorship to democracy, died on Sept18, 2012 at the age of 97. With his trademark spectacles and a cigarette forever between his lips, he was among the last giants of 20th-century Spanish politics, having fought in the 1936-1939 Civil War and later helped shape the country's democracy. -- PHOTO: AFP
MADRID (AFP) - Hundreds of people bade goodbye to Spain's former Communist Party leader Santiago Carrillo, a key player in the nation's transition to democracy, on Wednesday by filing past his coffin.
Mourners of all ages marched quietly by his open casket, which was draped with a large red party flag, as he lay in state at the auditorium of the Communist-led CCOO trade confederation in the centre of Madrid.
His trademark large glasses were still on his face and his arms were folded across his chest.
"He played an essential role in ensuring the rights that we enjoy today and which I think they are trying to take away from us," said Mr Alberto Gutierez, an unemployed 30-year-old.
