SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 16th May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Yaiza López Landi, the spokesperson for the Socialist Parliamentary Group, has characterised the recent decision of the Government of the Canary Islands to revoke the Catalogue of Francoist symbols, streets, monuments, and references in the Canary Islands as a “clear setback”. This catalogue was initially approved in 2022 by the former Executive of the ‘Pact of Flowers’, aimed at implementing measures to safeguard the democratic memory and dignity of victims of human rights violations.
Expressing the Socialist Group’s “negative surprise” at the decision of the autonomous government of the Canary Coalition (CC) and the Popular Party (PP) to comply with the request of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council to revoke the approval of the document, which lists 79 remnants of the Franco dictatorship that must be removed from public spaces,
“We are surprised that they are acting according to Bermúdez’s wishes in response to an issue where the correct course of action is to adhere to what the law stipulates,” he emphasized in a statement.
López Landi criticises the Canarian government, supported by CC and PP, for aligning with the “right-wing offensive” against the preservation of historical memory and victims’ dignity. He notes that this decision is particularly distressing in a region known for achieving consensus among public administrations of varying political affiliations on such matters. “They aim to erase the victims of Franco’s regime from memory,” he added.
The Socialist Group also asserts that the steps taken by the Canary Islands Government represent a clear regression since it has not only failed to fulfil its obligation to regularly update the Catalogue of Francoist symbols, streets, monuments, and references in the Canary Islands, in line with the established programming and structuring by municipalities and islands but has now initiated the process of annulling the catalogue approved in 2022. This catalogue included symbols, streets, monuments, and references to Francoism in the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
López Landi recalls that the Historical Memory Law, approved in 2022 by the Executive of Ángel Víctor Torres, mandates public authorities to implement measures aimed at preserving the memories of wartime atrocities and totalitarian regimes, thus preventing a repetition of human rights violations that occurred during the coup d’état, the war, and the dictatorship.
The ‘Pact of Flowers’ government had partnered with the University of La Laguna (ULL) to carry out the provisions of the Historical Memory Law of the Canary Islands and to create the Catalogue. This initiative was led by professionals who had already finalised the contents and even presented the Catalogue of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
ELEMENTS OF DIVISION
Among these measures, particular importance is placed on actions concerning public symbols, with the aim of fostering unity among citizens in a peaceful and democratic environment, rather than endorsing offensive or divisive expressions. This underscores the necessity of removing elements that sow discord among the population, as highlighted by the socialist group.
Moreover, it is emphasised within a human rights framework that the glorification, exaltation, or justification of perpetrators of crimes against humanity, as condemned by the report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe dated March 17, 2006, constitutes a blatant disrespect or humiliation of the victims or their families, which must be countered with respect and the preservation of their dignity, as a fundamental act of remembrance and tribute to them.
In addition, these actions are in line with demands from various bodies safeguarding human rights on the international stage, such as the 2014 report of the working group on forced or involuntary disappearances, the report of the special rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition, the European Parliament’s resolution of October 25, 2018, on the resurgence of neo-fascist violence in Europe, and the institution’s resolution of September 2019 on the significance of European historical memory for the continent’s future.
“Hopefully, when the new Catalogue is ready, we will reach a consensus regarding the removal of Francoist remnants because failing to do so would lead to further challenges,” he concluded.
