New attempt to classify Feixina as a Francoist symbol

PalmA new attempt to remove Francoist symbols in the Balearic Islands. The Spanish government has approved the criteria that will define the new process. State catalogue of symbols and elements contrary to democratic memoryIn this context, MP Vicenç Vidal has confirmed that his party has already requested the inclusion of the Feixina monument in Palma and the monolith on the Explanada de Maó in Menorca, a proposal that the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory "views favorably, in principle." On November 18, the Ministry approved the Royal Decree to compile the catalog. This step opens the door to reviewing and potentially removing public monuments that commemorate or glorify the Francoist dictatorship, its institutions, or anniversaries linked to the Civil War and the coup d'état. The MP Vicenç Vidal –a member of the Ara Més-Sumar coalition– has announced that his party has formally requested the inclusion of two monuments from the Balearic Islands: the Feixina monolith and the Explanada de Maó monolith.

Now the State needs to contact the Balearic Government to gather its opinion, an essential step before the monuments are officially added to the catalog. With the catalog's approval, a technical commission has also been created with the participation of the autonomous communities and local entities as a guarantee of institutional cooperation. Regarding the Feixina monolith, built in 1947 to honor the crew of the Francoist cruiser Baleares, it is one of the most controversial monuments in the Islands. Left-wing parties and memorial organizations denounce that, despite the 2010 reform—which removed the explicit symbols of the regime—it continues to represent an exaltation of Francoism. It has recently been in the news again because the People's Party (PP) and Vox want to dedicate a street in Palma to Francisco Roca Simó, the monolith's architect.

This initiative, approved in the November plenary session by the PP and Vox, was met with unanimous rejection from the entire opposition. The Podemos spokesperson in the Palma City Council, Lucía MuñozMuñoz believes that dedicating a street to the architect, while the Feixina monument remains standing, is "a mockery of the victims of Francoism and, specifically, of the Baleares cruiser," responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians fleeing Málaga in the episode known as the 'Desbandá' (the exodus). According to Muñoz, "the problem is that the Feixina monument remains standing and that the victims of the Baleares cruiser are not recognized with any street name." Podemos will present an initiative to reverse this situation and again call for the monument's demolition.

The PSOE, which initially denounced Vox's initiative, also voted against it. The Socialist councilor Xisco Dalmau He explained that this proposal "legitimizes the coup against democratic memory, against the memory of the victims of the Civil War and Francoism, and against the families, many of whom are still searching for the remains of their missing relatives." Dalmau argued that "it is very important not to repeal the Democratic Memory Law, as the PP intends." Prohens"A law that reminds us of those who gave their lives to defend our right to discuss political pluralism in a democracy."

During his speech in the plenary session, Fulgencio Coll, Vox spokesperson in Palma, defended Roca Simó as a "universal architect" and "a key figure in the expansion of modernism beyond Mallorca." "What we are simply asking is that, given he was a universal Mallorcan, the City Council initiate the procedures to dedicate a street to him," he explained.

As for the monolith on the Mahón Esplanade, it was erected in 1939 "in memory of those who fell for God and for Spain in the Holy Crusade against communism" and is located on land belonging to the Ministry of Defense. The inclusion of these two monuments in the future state catalog would be a further step in the implementation of Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory, which obliges public administrations to remove or redefine public symbols that glorify the dictatorship, the military uprising, or the Civil War. According to Vicenç Vidal, "if everything falls into place," these monuments could be officially listed as elements to be reviewed for their removal or reinterpretation.