SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 11 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The City Council of La Laguna has enlisted a group from the University of La Laguna to conduct a study aimed at identifying the remnants of symbols from the Franco dictatorship that still exist within the streets, monuments, and structures of the municipality.
Heading this team will be María Isabel Navarro, a professor of Art History at the University of La Laguna, who has overseen the compilation of Francoist remnants produced by the University on behalf of the Government of the Canary Islands.
La Laguna’s mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, articulated that the City Council’s aim is “to persist in the effort to remove all symbols that glorify the dictatorship era, in adherence to the Canary Islands’ Historical Memory Law of 2019 and the Democratic Memory Law of 2022,” as ratified in the plenary session this Thursday, following a motion put forward by the Government Group.
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez extended his gratitude to the University of La Laguna, its research team, and María Isabel Navarro for undertaking this study, which he asserts “will be thorough and methodical and will play a crucial role in the complete removal of any remnants of Francoist symbolism.”
“Significant progress has been made in recent years regarding this issue. A notable example would be the anteroom of the City Council plenary hall, where during the last term we removed portraits of all the mayors from the dictatorship period. However, there remain certain elements still to be addressed, not only within public spaces but also regarding the honours and distinctions conferred during that time, and this is precisely what we aim to clarify through this University study,” he elucidated.
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez reiterated that public administrations bear the obligation “to take a firm stance against any symbolism or messages that infringe upon individual freedoms, especially in light of extremist political entities that even claim affiliations with the Franco regime.” “La Laguna will not overlook this reality, and we are committed to upholding the values of reconciliation and solidarity that underpin our democratic framework,” he affirmed.