There is unease in Spain over plans for a Madrid statue honouring soldiers who spearheaded Franco's fascist movement.

This week marks the centenary of what is often described as the most shocking defeat in the history of the Spanish military - the annihilation of a colonial force at the Battle of Annual, in what is now northern Morocco.
The rise of the Legión (Spanish Legion), an elite regiment, was a response to that. It is no ordinary force, but was born of the anger over Spanish defeats - seen as humiliations - at the hands of anti-colonial rebels.
The Legión became almost a symbol of Spanish virility - shirt necks open to the midriff, short sleeves showing off bulging biceps. It was the idea of Gen José Millán Astray, who would later be a leading element of the fascist cause in civil war Spain, with his war cry Viva la Muerte! (Long live death!)

Formed in 1920, it was modelled on the French Foreign Legion, designed to attract volunteers and so reduce the need for conscripts, who were struggling in the harsh conditions. For some, it is a colourful element of the Spanish military, marching at parades with a goat for a mascot.

Unsurprisingly, attitudes toward the Legión mirror those people hold towards Spain's Franco era. For leftists, the unit is a symbol of fascist barbarism. Meanwhile the legionnaires' anthem The Bridegroom of Death remains popular today at rallies held by Spain's far-right Vox party.