Santa Cruz de Tenerife 10 Apr. (Press Europa) –
The Socialist Group within the Cabildo de Tenerife has submitted objections regarding the file initiated by the Corporation to declare the sculpture by Juan de Ávalos, known as ‘Monument to Franco’, as a Cultural Interest (BIC), located at the intersection of the Rambla de Santa Cruz and Anaga Avenue.
The socialist spokesperson, Aaron Afonso, asserts in a statement that “the designation of BIC is attempting to employ a subterfuge to prevent the removal of a Francoist symbol that, according to current legislation, must be eradicated from public spaces.”
This proposal aligns with the execution of a court ruling from June 2024, which mandates the Cabildo to process the file, now presently in the phase of public consultation.
The PSOE argues that this sculpture embodies a direct glorification of the 1936 coup d’état and the Franco regime, which contravenes Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory and Law 5/2018 regarding the Historical Memory of the Canary Islands.
The objections lodged by the Socialist Group have the backing of two key adverse assessments: one from the University of La Laguna and the other from the Autonomous Museum Agency of Tenerife, which are the only institutions acknowledged as advisory under the Cultural Heritage Law of the Canary Islands.
Both evaluations conclude that the sculpture lacks the extraordinary artistic merit necessary for it to be declared as BIC.
In response to these reports, the Socialists highlight that the Cabildo has sought additional opinions from entities lacking official advisory status, such as the Royal Canarian Academy of Fine Arts—the original promoter of the Protection Proposal—and the Royal Academy of Extremadura, closely associated with the figure of Ávalos.
The PSOE cautions that these bodies may have functioned as “both judge and party” in the process, thereby compromising the objectivity of the file.
The document submitted by the Socialist Group further emphasises the symbolic significance of the monument as a propaganda tool for Franco, supported by historical, audiovisual, and academic documentation, particularly an analysis led by Professor María Isabel Navarro Segura in 2019.
Afonso has urged the island government group to adhere to current legislation concerning democratic memory and to promptly request the removal of the monument from the City of Santa Cruz.
“There can be no uncertainty when discussing symbols that embody a dictatorship. The Canary Islands require courageous institutions dedicated to truth, justice, and memory,” he concluded.
