Brian Coleman admits to being admirer of anti semitic Fascist Dictator

Over the years, Brian Coleman has received massive support from members of the local Jewish community in his political career. They have long seen Coleman as a friend and someone who was an unswerving ally and someone who could be relied upon to oppose anti semitism in all its various guises.  I do therefore wonder just how they will feel about Coleman issuing the following tweet.

Brian Coleman ‏@BrianColeman251 8h8 hours ago

@RossSHouston I have always been rather a Franco admirer !

Brian Coleman ‏@BrianColeman251 Sep 13

@RichardJMurphy There wasn't much wrong with Franco except his attempts to bully Gibraltar

Franco & Hitler in 1940

For those who are unaware, General Franco was a Fascist dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975. Franco was a big ally of the German NAZI regime. He received material assistance from Adolf Hitler in the Spanish civil war, with the German airforce bombing the left wing opponents of Franco. Franco organised 18,000 Spaniards to fight alongside German forces in WWII and even compiled lists of  Jewish Spaniards in 1941 for the Nazi authorities. His government described Jewish people as "that infamous race". Franco hated Jews, in the 1937 ceasefire document in the Spanish Civil war Franco stated 'the conspiracy masterminded by Jews and carried out by Freemasons'.  In his 1939 victory speech Franco said the following 

“While music is heard and our flag is raised there are wandering throughout the world the damned such as the eternal Jew, whom nobody wants because they are a Communist horde.”

 It is interesting to see how right wing commentators have sought to portray Jeremy Corbyn as an anti semite for his association with various unsavoury parties. Will they apply the same rigour to Coleman? Of course, there are many apologists for Franco who point out that despite having an alliance with Hitler, he never formally joined the war as a member of the Axis and did allow the passage of Jewish refugees through Spain. It is clear to all historians that this was due to the fact that he never was convinced that Hitler would win, and post 1941 recognised that they were bound to lose. That does not excuse the fact that he was clearly an anti semite and a fellow traveller of Hitler. For Coleman to express admiration for such a figure is truly astonishing.