Enric Marco
Encyclopedia
Enric Marco is an impostor
who claimed to have been a prison
er in Nazi German
concentration camps Mauthausen
and Flossenburg
in World War II
. He was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi
by the Catalan
government in 2001 and wrote a book on his experiences. In 2005 he admitted his claims were false and returned his medal, after his deception was revealed by university researcher Benito Bermejo.
"I admit I never was interned in the Flossenburg camp, though I was in preventive detention accused of plotting against the Third Reich," said Marco. He was released after a few weeks of maltreatment and returned to Spain
in 1943. In fact Marco had volunteered in 1941 to work in Kiel for the nazi war industry. In his forged stories Marco had claimed he had been involved in the French resistance and captured by the Gestapo in south France.
After 2001 Marco represented an association which gathered some survivors of the thousands of Spaniards
who had truly been deported to nazi concentration camps.
In the time 1978-1979 Marco, a metal worker, had been the General Secretary of the Spanish anarchist Union CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
), from which he was expelled in 1980.
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
who claimed to have been a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
er in Nazi German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
concentration camps Mauthausen
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
and Flossenburg
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Konzentrationslager Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the Schutzstaffel Economic-Administrative Main Office at Flossenbürg, in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria, Germany, near the border with Czechoslovakia. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than 96,000 prisoners...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi
Creu de Sant Jordi
The Creu de Sant Jordi is the highest civil distinction awarded in Catalonia . It was established by the Generalitat de Catalunya autonomous government by virtue of the Decret 457/1981 de 18 de desembre in 1981.. The medal was designed by goldsmith Joaquim Capdevila.-Recipients:*List of...
by the Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
government in 2001 and wrote a book on his experiences. In 2005 he admitted his claims were false and returned his medal, after his deception was revealed by university researcher Benito Bermejo.
"I admit I never was interned in the Flossenburg camp, though I was in preventive detention accused of plotting against the Third Reich," said Marco. He was released after a few weeks of maltreatment and returned to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1943. In fact Marco had volunteered in 1941 to work in Kiel for the nazi war industry. In his forged stories Marco had claimed he had been involved in the French resistance and captured by the Gestapo in south France.
After 2001 Marco represented an association which gathered some survivors of the thousands of Spaniards
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
who had truly been deported to nazi concentration camps.
In the time 1978-1979 Marco, a metal worker, had been the General Secretary of the Spanish anarchist Union CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions affiliated with the International Workers Association . When working with the latter group it is also known as CNT-AIT...
), from which he was expelled in 1980.