The Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory has added four new Francoist symbols to its catalogue of items opposed to democratic memory, including the well-known Franco monument, which must be dismantled within a maximum of six months. Minister Ángel Víctor Torres announced these new additions during a press conference on Tuesday.
The technical committee determined that the sculpture in the Tenerife capital lacks sufficient artistic or cultural value for preservation or reinterpretation. This resolution requires its removal, although not its destruction, with plans for it to be stored in a public facility out of public view.
The monument, created by sculptor Juan de Ávalos and inaugurated in the 1960s, is seen by the Ministry as a symbol glorifying Francoist victory, presenting the Civil War as a heroic crusade. Additionally, the catalogue includes a monument to fallen Romanians in Majadahonda, along with two inscriptions celebrating José Antonio Primo de Rivera in the cathedrals of Murcia and Almería.
Torres emphasised that none of these items possesses the cultural value necessary to be maintained. He also condemned agreements between the PP and Vox that aim to preserve certain monuments associated with Francoism. This decision follows the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council’s rejection last Friday of an immediate removal of the monument, a proposal that did not pass due to opposition from Coalición Canaria, the Popular Party, and Vox, who argued that the council should comply with existing legal procedures before making a decision on the sculpture’s future.
