Memory of Mallorca demands the "immediate" repair of the bust of Aurora Picornell

PalmCoinciding with the 89th anniversary of the assassination of Aurora Picornell, a leading figure in the labor and feminist movements and a victim of the Franco regime, the Memoria de Mallorca association filed a formal complaint this Tuesday with the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) denouncing the serious state of disrepair of the bust dedicated to the communist activist on the promenade. The monument, inaugurated on March 5, 2019, at the initiative of the Consell de Mallorca's Island Equality Department and with the collaboration of the Palma City Council, has suffered repeated acts of vandalism in recent years. According to the association, the most recent damage affects both the explanatory plaque and the pillar supporting the bust, presumably due to the use of some type of acid, which has also damaged the sculpture itself. Although municipal services have carried out occasional actions to remove graffiti, Memoria de Mallorca denounces that the memorial has not been restored or replaced to its original condition. The organization believes this inaction constitutes a breach of the legal obligations to preserve spaces of democratic memory. In this regard, it recalls that Law 20/2022, on democratic memory, obliges public administrations to guarantee the preservation, signage, and long-term maintenance of elements dedicated to the victims of the Francoist dictatorship, as well as to prevent their deterioration or disappearance. The law itself classifies the destruction or degradation of symbolic elements honoring these victims as a very serious offense. In the document submitted to the Consell, Memoria de Mallorca requests that, once the damage has been verified through recent photographs and images from the inauguration, the monument be repaired and fully restored immediately. The association warns that, if the conservation obligations are not met, it reserves the right to take legal action to defend the dignity and memory of Aurora Picornell. The organization considers the current state of the bust especially serious on a symbolic date like the anniversary of her assassination and denounces what it calls institutional neglect. According to Memoria de Mallorca, democratic memory must not only be reclaimed but also effectively protected. It is worth recalling that the Passeig del Born del Molinar hosted a moving tribute this past Sunday to the activists Aurora Picornell and Les Roges del Molinar. The event, attended by around one hundred people despite the adverse weather, included a floral offering at Picornell's bust, located in that space, the reading of a manifesto, and a short musical performance.

The event was organized by the United Left of the Balearic Islands (EUIB), the Communist Party of the Balearic Islands, and the Aurora Picornell Collective. It also had the support of the Platform for Democratic Memory and was joined by other organizations and parties, such as STEI, PSIB-PSOE, Podemos, MÁS per Mallorca, the Socialist Youth Organization of Mallorca, and CUP-Palma.

During the reading of the manifesto, the figures of Aurora and the Rojas were remembered, as well as all the people who fought for social justice, freedom and democracy and who therefore suffered Francoist repression.