LEFT UNIDA CANARIA (IUC) advocates for the relocation of the Franco monument, situated on the Avenida de Anaga in Santa Cruz, to a museum or an interpretation centre dedicated to historical memory. They propose that it be displayed from a critical and educational standpoint. In this context, they argue, “it would not serve as an object of glorification, but rather as an element within a more extensive narrative regarding the Franco dictatorship, political repression, and the creation of propaganda symbols.”
This is one of the arguments presented by the party against the classification of the monument as a cultural asset (BIC), asserting that it is inconsistent with the Democratic Memory Law and lacks significant artistic merit. Luisa Tamayo, the National Coordinator of IUC, emphasises that the Juan de Ávalos sculpture can be positioned “in a museum of contemporary history or democratic memory, or, if not displayed, transferred to a heritage storage facility to ensure its preservation without public exhibition, as opposed to continuing to occupy a public space devoid of critical interpretation, which constitutes an affront to the victims of Franco and the democratic ideals of our society.”
IUC reminds us that the Democratic Memory Law mandates the removal of commemorative artifacts from the dictatorship that glorify their figures or legitimise their ideology, adding that the sculpture “flagrantly violates this principle.” In its submission registered with the Cabildo, the party contends that “this monument is not merely a sculptural piece, but a propaganda remnant of Franco, endorsed by the regime to venerate the dictator, meaning its presence in public space perpetuates a narrative that legitimises the coup d’état of 1936 and the subsequent dictatorship,” they claim.
The arguments document points out that similar actions have been taken in other regions of Spain to remove Francoist glorification elements, such as the statue of Franco in Melilla and the monument to those who fell in Pamplona. Furthermore, it asserts that the Ávalos sculpture does not fulfil the criteria necessary to be classified as BIC, “as corroborated by technical reports from the University of La Laguna and Museums of Tenerife.”
