The association has lodged objections regarding the Bic file proceedings.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 11 Apr. (Press Europa) –
The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory has filed objections in the judicial proceedings concerning the initiation of the cultural interest declaration for the sculpture by Juan de Ávalos García Taborda, situated at the junction of Anaga’s avenue and the Rambla de Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife: “We cannot commemorate the launch of a murder that remains unresolved.”
In a statement, Emilio Silva, president of the ARMH and grandson of the first individual identified as missing due to Francoist repression through genetic testing, condemns the notion that “the establishment of a murderous regime, which still has thousands of missing victims, can be celebrated.”
Furthermore, the president asserts that a monument of this nature honours “the suffering of countless individuals and glorifies the perpetrator of horrific human rights atrocities, who transformed the violence of Falangist gunmen into the most significant act of terrorism in our history.”
“No one would tolerate the existence of a monument that glorifies a terrorist incident; thus, that sculpture which venerates violence and fascism is utterly unacceptable,” he remarked.
The association points out that “the glorification of the initiation of the coup d’état is embodied in the work,” featuring an image representing the dragon rapid plane, used by Francisco Franco “to embark on the military rebellion that would ignite the civil war,” infringing “directly” upon what Law 20/2022, Article 35 identifies as “elements opposed to democratic memory,” as represented in structures built to commemorate the military.
In this regard, they argue that the primary consideration is not whether the work should be removed or not, but rather if it should be designated as a cultural interest, and if such a designation conflicts with legal standards and the exaltation prohibited by Supreme Court jurisprudence. Consequently, they believe that the proposal should be “categorically dismissed.”
In the event of a re-evaluation of the work, even if it were to be subject to a contest of ideas as suggested, the association perceives that this “would exacerbate the suffering and humiliation” of the victims of the coup d’état and would be based on a misinterpretation of the original sentence underlying this procedure.
