The Minister of Political Territorial and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, has expressed his support for removing Francoist vestiges and believes that there should be “no room for monuments” to Francisco Franco after a court has compelled the Tenerife council to declare a statue of the dictator a Cultural Heritage Site (BIC).
When asked about this matter upon arriving at the Ateneo in Madrid, Torres supported “removing Francoist vestiges” and ensuring that there are no streets that represent individuals who actively participated in the oppression of the Spanish people for four decades. “There is no place for monuments or foundations to Francisco Franco under any circumstances,” he stated.
The minister made these statements after a court in Tenerife compelled the island’s council to designate the Monument to Franco by sculptor Juan de Ávalos, inaugurated in 1966, as a BIC.
OPEN TO REINTERPRETATION
He also mentioned that judicial rulings must be respected and adhered to or “appealed” if possible, although he hopes that administrations will agree that these Francoist vestiges should be removed and that “when there are monuments that, for objective scientific reasons, need to be maintained, then that will have to be done,” he points out.
In any case, he believes that the “reinterpretation” of certain monuments can be carried out “that have architectural or artistic value” in the same way it will be done with the Valley of the Fallen.
