With weariness in her tone of voice, the leader of the research team compiling the catalog of Francoist remnants in Canary Islands rejects the statements made by the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, who refers to the document as being “poorly done,” holding on to the ruling issued by the Canary Islands High Court of Justice (TSJC). According to the judgment, the Government of the Canary Islands repealed this catalog, which was promoted by the previous Executive.
From the investigating committee assigned by the University of La Laguna, the professor of Art History, María Isabel Navarro, perceives with “exhaustion” this repeal of the Catalog of Francoist symbols, streets, monuments, and mentions in the Canary Islands, a document that in its draft records more than 200 Francoist remnants in the capitals of the eight islands in the Archipelago. During the previous legislature, led by the current Minister of Territorial Politics and Democratic Memory of Spain, Ángel Víctor Torres, the university institution signed an agreement for the compilation of this catalog, still in a second phase of work.
Entrance to the Naval Base of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria / Juan Carlos Castro
One of the main shortcomings that Clavijo points out about the draft is its “municipalistic” nature, emphasizing the disparity that Santa Cruz de Tenerife presents compared to other localities in the Canary Islands. With this in mind, he proposes a revision with different technical criteria to ensure that the work is “well done” for the whole of the Canary Islands and “not just” for Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The current Vice Minister of Culture and Cultural Heritage, Horacio Umpiérrez, also maintains that this list is “incomplete” and “biased” for political reasons.
On the opposite side of the crossroads is the leader of the project, who defends its impartiality by stating that “the Canary Islands Historical Memory Law requires the government to have a single catalog statutorily made by municipalities.” Navarro continues to point out that the President of the Government of the Canary Islands is “obliged to specify in what sense the document is poorly done,” and she views the situation as “a problem of the institutions’ dignity” that judges “a thorough work done with effort by professionals.” “A President of the Government of the Canary Islands should not lie,” the professor asserts.
Some of the criteria used to record the vestiges of the Francisco Franco dictatorship include references to sculptures, objects, shields, inscriptions, and gravestones, where the shield with the Francoist eagle at the entrance of the Naval Base is classified. Furthermore, the street names, urban spaces, and others, which the professor states are particularly abundant in Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, are also included. It also includes a section on the names of facilities and public entities and another dedicated to the honors and distinctions granted by different municipalities, such as the appointment of General Juan José Orozco Massieu as proclaimed honorary citizen of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Calvo Sotelo Street, in Vegueta / Juan Carlos Castro
The catalog approved and delivered in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was carried out by the University of La Laguna at the behest of the regional Government. Although currently, the situation implies disagreements with the Executive, the leader of the research team acknowledges that the project “is subject to them,” regardless of the political color. “In a way, we are collaborating,” she admits.
Regarding the restructuring of the catalog of Santa Cruz de Tenerife already delivered and approved, the authors of the document explain that they are still working on the third phase of the project. “This stage corresponds to the work done in 80 municipalities in the rest of the Canary Islands and is in its final phase,” and Navarro states that due to its public interest nature, the document “must be available to those who request it,” and continues with “how it is used is a matter that falls under political decisions.”
Drafted Results Recorded
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Navarro explains that “the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has the largest number of vestiges”, according to the latest data from the draft in the second phase provided to LA PROVINCIA/DLP. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria would continue with a total of 72 registered vestiges, followed by Santa Cruz de La Palma with 13 and Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) with 11, equally Valverde (El Hierro) and Arrecife (Lanzarote) with nine, as a novelty, La Graciosa is included with four records and, lastly, San Sebastián de La Gomera still preserves three, which are added to the 79 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the vast majority of vestiges mainly refer to the city’s streets. However, Santa Cruz de Tenerife presents a different scenario, with more statues paying homage to Franco’s regime. In order to compensate the victims’ families and preserve democratic memory, “the Santa Cruz City Council still carries a huge weight on its shoulders,” concludes.
Stalled by Justice
The catalog of Francoist vestiges in the Canary Islands, specifically in its first phase section referring to the study of the situation in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, has been the subject of four complaints. In total, one filed by the City Council of the Tenerife capital and three others by different associations that appealed to the Superior Court of Justice of the Canaries (TSJC), which ordered the precautionary suspension of the catalog. What started as an issue of lack of formality in the document has led to the repeal of the list, something that has led the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, to declare that “they fundamentally speak of formal criteria already resolved and in no case say that it is repealed”. | D.M.
