Maria Ripoll Garau, niece of Mayor Climent Garau and voice of repression, dies

PalmMaria Ripoll Garau, from Porreres, passed away this Sunday at the age of 97. Neboda of Mayor Climent Garau, assassinated in 1936 by fascists, and daughter of Maria Garau Juan, she was a voice against the repression in the Pla de Mallorca region, and specifically in Porreres, where she was born and lived. The phrase that always accompanied her in her struggle and work to keep alive what she experienced in her childhood and during the Franco regime was clear, direct, and forceful: "We will continue to tell what happened, because they will say it and they won't believe it."

In fact, this phrase, spoken by her mother, is inscribed on the family tomb where Ripoll will be buried. It has been a constant companion to the Garau family since the assassination of Mayor Climent Garau. Since her death, many have used social media to bid a final farewell to the woman from Porreres and to remember her work for historical memory. One example is the 'Voces Feministas Porreres' (Porreres Feminist Voices), who, in a Facebook post, stated that "this is a very sad moment" and that they are "eternally grateful for her generosity and for having had her collaboration and testimony." "María Ripoll Garau, Madò Marió, was a living memory of this town and of the repression experienced during the darkest moments of its history," they concluded.

Maria Ripoll, with courage and striking clarity, recounted episodes that form part of the collective trauma of Porreres: the executions, the disappearances, and the horror of the Civil War repression. Her testimonies have been fundamental to historical research, to the exhumations in the Porreres cemetery, and to identifying the victims of the repression. Researchers and democratic memory organizations have considered her an indispensable source: the bookClemente Garau Juan (1897-1936): between the paintbrush and the stickThe book by Bartomeu Garí Salleras includes some of Maria's contributions. She was also present at numerous commemorative events, such as the laying of the memorial stone dedicated to Mayor Garau, representing the family and honoring the memory of those who had no voice.

Maria Ripoll's story is inseparable from that of her family, harshly punished for their Republican ties: her mother—Climent's sister—and she herself suffered threats, marginalization, and years of imposed silence.

With her death, Porreres loses a living memory, a woman who helped to understand and heal a wounded past.

The vigil for Maria deMario's houseThe burial will take place in the municipal cemetery of Porreres this Wednesday the 10th, while the funeral will not be until Friday the 19th of December at 8 pm in the parish church of Porreres.