A witness to Ochotorena's actions during the White Terror perpetrated by Francisco Franco and the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War stated: "Many priests acted very badly. The bishop of Zamora in 1936 was more or less an assassin – I don't remember his name. He must be held responsible because prisoners appealed to him to save their lives. All he would reply was that the Reds had killed more people than the falangist were killing."[2]: 233