With the hope of leaving a fruitful seed, the bodies of the Spanish libertarians are sowing the earth in various continents of the planet. In Montreal, it is our dear Cisco Rebordosa. He was preceded by Enrique Castillos, who dedicated many years of his life to militancy, Alfred Munrós (see Fall 1996 FE), whose illustrations are well known to readers of our publications, and Alfred Ruiz, a veteran of the anti-Franco struggle in Spain, where he was imprisoned.
When they arrived in Canada in December 1951, the church was very powerful. Three families faced the precariousness of their new situation when soon after they found a house to rent together, the parish priest appeared at their door to ask why he had not seen them in church. Upon hearing their reply, that they weren’t in the habit of attending mass, the priest replied: ” If you don’t go to church, you won’t be very lucky in Canada.” Today, things in that country have changed significantly, and our compañeros are due some credit for that change.
Rebordosa always gave himself fully to the cause with unique dedication. It was he who founded the S.I.A. (Sociedad International Anti-fascista), and it was our Cisco who, with other compañeros organized the Montreal C.N.T. (Confederacion Nacional de Trabajadores). He later helped form the Liga Democrdtica Espaniola in 1960 which published the magazine Umbral, profusely illustrated with the drawings of Munrós, and organized the well-known anti-Franco protests and demonstrations, denouncing oppression and the death penalty sentences imposed first on Granados and Delgado, and then Puig Antich in Barcelona, and Heinz Chez in Tarragona. All were killed by the state (by firing squad or garrote) after they came to know and be influenced by libertarian ideas.
Rebordosa never stopped contributing through every means available without holding back or shunning sacrifice, nor did he ever lack the support of his compañera Carmen, who shared in this self-sacrifice and activism. In recent years, Cisco was the only remaining survivor of a large number of compañeros in Montreal. Faithful at all times, he continued contributing and serving as an example for others.
Despite the fact that our compañeros lived in Canada, they always carried vivid memories of their exile years in France, and Cisco, like almost all the others, suffered the hardships of the concentration camps and forced labor. He was also imprisoned for a short time and threatened with deportation to Germany. He actively followed the reorganization of the C.N.T. and took part in various C.N.T. sponsored activities: tours, festivals, assemblies, plenums, always thinking about Spain and taking on heavy responsibilities. Above all, there prevailed in him that sense of solidarity and generosity which bonded us to one another. In 1990, Cisco had surgery to remove a kidney and the following year he returned with Carmen to France and Spain, anxious to see the dear compañeros from the old days, and felt again the power of their friendship as a new stimulus for life. Unfortunately, though he tried, he was unable to repeat this journey.
The self-sacrifice, generosity and altruism of our friend has always been shared by his compañera, Carmen. Their home was always open, offering the bread and salt of friendship to those who arrived from various countries, a home where true human solidarity exists, generated by the love of ideas. We possess a great spiritual wealth when we feel ourselves united in a large family of compañeros like Carmen and Francisco.
Today, when the loss of that good compañero fills us with sorrow and clouds our eyes, we can only hope to honor his memory by continuing down the path he always walked: the path of the Ideal, and to devote ourselves to that which united us in our youth.
To Carmen, his children Linda and Jazmun, we say: “Our dear Cisco, like our ideas, is imperishable. He will live in us And in those who succeed us, because that is the only path that leads to human well-being.”
Salud Cisco, salud, compañero and brother, salud, salud.