The leader of the Socialist Group in the Tenerife Cabildo, Pedro Martín, has described the declaration made by the president and vice president of the Corporation regarding the “resignification” of the Franco monument in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as “absurd,” especially before the conclusion of the proceedings for its designation as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).
Pedro Martín has indicated that there are reasons to suspect that the outcome of the file could be unfavourable, prompting Rosa Dávila and Lope Afonso to “pre-emptively defend the sculpture.”
The former president of the Cabildo reminded that in the previous term, studies were commissioned from the University of La Laguna and the Historical Heritage Technical Unit of the Cabildo, which concluded that the monument lacks exceptional artistic merit.
Pedro Martín expressed disappointment that both CC and PP have already voiced their support for retaining Franco’s statue without awaiting the findings of the experts connected to the Cabildo’s ongoing file, which has yet to commence.
“No decision can be made regarding resignification without the conclusions concerning the BIC,” asserted the socialist leader, who condemned the president for having “pre-empted the assessments on the significance of the qualification by the Cabildo experts and, moreover, bypassing the Santa Cruz City Council by prescribing a future for the sculpture without consulting the council, which is the owner of the work.””
Martín asserts that it is crucial to adhere to legal rulings, and in this instance, the court has mandated the initiation of the file so that the Government of the Canary Islands can make an informed decision based on the appropriate assessments.
He underscores that the ruling does not necessitate that the monument be classified as a Site of Cultural Interest, thus “it seems unreasonable to hastily declare resignification, particularly when both the University of La Laguna studies and those from the Historical Heritage Unit of the Cabildo previously found that the sculpture lacks notable cultural significance.” “This could lead to an anticipated negative outcome from the technicians during the assessment of the BIC application,” he remarked.
The general secretary of the socialists finds it “unfathomable” that the Cabildo president’s decision is being announced “without the technicians or the Government of the Canary Islands having been allowed to conduct their work, and without any dialogue with the opposition to reach a broad consensus on such a sensitive issue, and without even engaging the City Council, the rightful owner of the sculpture.”
In her view, “Rosa Dávila speaks of a unity that is not being realised within the corporation or among the relevant institutions. Instead, she has proclaimed a decision that undermines the essence of collaboration, solely aiming for media attention while creating more issues than solutions,” he said.
