After exhumation, Spain reburies Franco in discreet tomb

Spain exhumed the embalmed body of Francisco Franco from a grandiose state mausoleum on Thursday, reburying it in more discreet grave in a country still conflicted over the dictator's decades-long regime.

The carefully-choreographed operation which began inside an imposing basilica in Valley of the Fallen and ended some four hours later at a state cemetery outside of Madrid, was hailed by the government as ending "an insult to Spanish democracy".

"This decision puts an end to the moral outrage of the glorification of a dictator in a public space," said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

"It takes us one step closer to reconciliation... and gives prestige to our democracy, not only in our own eyes but in the eyes of the world."
Gathered outside the cemetery, around 200 supporters, some draped in older Franco-era Spanish flags, others holding Falange banners, shouted "Long live Franco!"