The Socialist Group in the Cabildo de Lanzarote has registered a motion for the Island Corporation to urge the Arrecife City Council to completely remove the Francoist monument located in the Plaza de Las Palmas, in compliance with Law 20/2022, of October 19, on Democratic Memory.
The monolith in question, erected in honor of the "fallen" linked to the dictatorial regime of General Franco, constitutes a symbol of the exaltation of the dictatorship, contrary to democratic values and the spirit of reparation that drives current legislation. Its presence in one of the most emblematic spaces in the capital represents, according to the PSOE, a "serious anomaly that must be corrected without further delay".
"The preservation of this monument clearly violates article 35 of the Democratic Memory Law, which obliges public administrations to remove elements contrary to democratic memory. This is not a political option, but a legal mandate and an institutional responsibility", said Ariagona González, spokesperson for the Socialist Group of the Arrecife City Council.
In addition, they recall that the rehabilitation works of the Plaza de Las Palmas are currently being carried out, promoted by the Cabildo itself, which represents an ideal opportunity to proceed with the definitive elimination of the monument. When the rehabilitation project was drafted, the Catalog of Francoist Symbols, Streets, Monuments and Mentions of the Canary Islands had not yet been published, which already expressly includes this monolith.
"The Arrecife City Council now has the opportunity to rise to the occasion, comply with the law and dignify a public space that must be a symbol of coexistence and democratic memory, not of the exaltation of authoritarianism", say the PSOE.
