The committee of experts for the application of the Historical Memory Law in Arrecife has proposed changing the names of 13 streets with Francoist names and removing the honorary Mayoralty from the dictator Francisco Franco, which he still holds. This commission, which was created in February, has unanimously approved renaming these streets and "removing the title from the dictator", as reported this Wednesday on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero by the Councilor for Culture of the Arrecife City Council, Eva de Anta.
This commission has proposed that José Antonio Primo de Rivera Street be renamed Manolo Millares, General García Escámez Street will be named Viera y Clavijo, while Alférez Cabrera Tavío Street will be changed to Antonio Porlier y Sopranis. Calvo Sotelo Street will also undergo a change and will be called Alfarera Dorotea Armas, General Balmes Street, which will be renamed Dolores Pérez, Crucero Canarias, which will adopt the name Leopoldo Von Buch, or Crucero Baleares, which will be Telésforo Bravo.
In addition, Artillero Luis Tresguerras Street will adopt the name Ramón Manchón, Jacinto Borges Street will be renamed Juan Negrín, Coronel Valls de la Torres Street will be Josefina Betancort, Miguel Primo de Rivera Street will become Sol Street, while Martín Cobos will be Ana Suárez Street and a street that until now was called Viera y Clavijo will be renamed Amadou Ndoye.
This proposal will be taken to the Arrecife plenary session next Monday. Councilor Eva de Anta has positively assessed this initiative. "The Historical Memory Law has been complied with by changing the nomenclature. I think it is fair," she said. "It was a Law widely valued by a social majority," she defended.
The councilor understands that there may be problems and confusions with the change of street names, but believes it is simply a matter of getting used to it. "I think there may be some problem but until the matter returns to normal," she indicated.
This committee of experts, which was created in February, is composed of the former mayor of Arrecife, Enrique Pérez Parrilla, as well as Antonio Lorenzo, Antonio Félix Martín Hormiga, Francisca Perera Betancort, Santiago Blancas Suárez, Antonia Perera Betancort, Pedro César Quintana and Mario Ferrer.