The association Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience has asked the Cabildo of Lanzarote to replace the cross erected in 1950 in a square in Arrecife in homage to those who fell in Franco's regime, considering that it is a religious element without political symbology.
The cross has just been removed from the Plaza de Las Palmas in the capital of Lanzarote in compliance with the Democratic Memory Law, since it has been cataloged as a vestige of homage to the dictatorship, as it was built 75 years ago on the occasion of Francisco Franco's visit to the island, in memory of the Lanzarote residents of the rebel side who died during the Civil War.
However, the Observatory, chaired by María García, replies that it is a religious symbol that did not have "any Francoist or political symbology", a position shared by the PP of Lanzarote, which has lamented its removal and has described the decision as an "unjustified attack on our Christian and cultural roots."
In a statement, this Christian association makes the same reproach: "Removing a cross that does not represent any type of political exaltation, but rather the faith and tradition of a community, is an attack on religious freedom."
"The Constitution and international treaties protect the right of citizens to express their religious convictions in public spaces. We ask the Cabildo of Lanzarote to rectify and return the cross to its original place as a sign of respect and coexistence," argues its president.
She also alleges that the square where the cross was located is declared an asset of cultural interest and assures that "the symbol was part of the original design of that space made in its day by César Manrique."
For its part, the PSOE of Arrecife has defended its removal, understanding that "it is a Francoist symbol included in the official catalog of the Government of the Canary Islands that, according to current legislation, should be removed from public space."
In a statement, the socialists defend that this removal "responds to strict compliance with the state Democratic Memory Law and the Historical Memory Law of the Canary Islands, which require the elimination from public space of any element that exalts the Franco dictatorship or humiliates its victims."
"Memory cannot continue to be kidnapped by complicit silences or by those who try to whitewash the symbols of a regime that persecuted freedoms and sowed fear. What divides is not removing a Francoist cross, but keeping it without explanations or justice," they say.
