By Eloise Horsfield

A ‘PROVOCATIVE’ change has been made to the name of a road honouring a prominent Republican figure following a petition from local residents.

Over 500 people supported the move to change ‘Avenida de Dolores Ibarruri’ back to its previous name.

Ibarruri, better known as La Pasionaria, was one of the first members of Spain’s Communist Party when it formed in 1921.

Most famous for her ‘No Pasaran!’ slogan created during the Battle of Madrid in 1937, she dedicated her life to left-wing politics, campaigning for workers’ rights and editing the Communist Party’s newspaper.

A thorn in the side of the Franco regime, Ibarruri was exiled at the end of the Civil War until 1977 but continued her work from Paris and Moscow, and was even invited to move to Cuba by Fidel Castro.

In 2006, Velez Malaga’s Town Hall – then ruled by the left-wing Izquierda Unida – dedicated the road to the heroine, who died in 1989.

But now, the road is to be reverted back to its old name, Camino Viejo de Malaga, after over 500 locals signed a petition.

The IU, who said the decision stinks of ‘provocation and revenge’, questioned why the town still has a road and football pitch named after Franco’s military judge Rodrigo Vivar Tellez who ordered several executions.

Velez Malaga mayor Francisco Delgado Bonilla replied: “It is not a matter of vengeance like the IU is suggesting.”

“All we’re doing is complying with regulations that state if you have 500 signatures asking for a change, we have to comply with that request.”

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9 COMMENTS

  1. Unbelievable. 25% unemployment and Spain is ripping itself apart over something that happened 70 years ago. Mind you I am a jock and half off Scotland thinks Mel Gibson the bee’s knees and the 1745 rebelion happened last week

  2. Maybe Brian066 you are a lowlander, maybe your ancestors were traitors who fought for the fat, ugly German, the Duke of Cumberland and maybe took part in the Highland Pacification Campaign in 1746 – taught as a classic in terror tactics in the SS training colledges of Nazi Germany – are’nt the Highlands lovely and empty – that and the greedy lairds are the reason why.

    Same goes for the north of Erin – it was’nt the Boyne that gave the Gaels a long memory – it was everything that happened afterwards – Brian maybe you are descended from the Scots/English settlers who were given land ‘cleared’ of the rightful owners.

    Reading yesterday about the castillian invasion of Catalunya in 1714 and how they imposed castillian and it’s laws on the Catalan people – the Catalans have never forgotten and why should they. It looks now as if the Catalans are going for full independance – if the castillian Aryans invade as their generals are promising, it will be interesting to see how the EC re-acts – they sat on their cowardly hands after the Serbs and Croations tried to exterminate Bosnia and it’s people – interesting times.

  3. What can such an idiotic expression as “castillian Aryan” mean? If it tries to portray people from the Madrid heartland as being some kind of villain, perhaps a reading of the siege of Madrid will enlighten you. Forces loyal to the Republic, fought valiantly (and ultimately in vain) AGAINST the Franco-led rebellion, for 3 years. “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Madrid”

  4. Stuart Crawford – “Reading yesterday about the castillian invasion of Catalunya in 1714 and how they imposed castillian and it’s laws on the Catalan people – the Catalans have never forgotten and why should they.”

    Stuart Crawford – “Maybe Brian066 you are a lowlander, maybe your ancestors were traitors who fought for the fat, ugly German, the Duke of Cumberland and maybe took part in the Highland Pacification Campaign in 1746 – taught as a classic in terror tactics in the SS training colledges of Nazi Germany – are’nt the Highlands lovely and empty – that and the greedy lairds are the reason why.”

    This is nationalist, fascist and racist. The Catalans have, in fact, forgotten. Do you know how I can prove this fact? Because not a single one that was alive in 1714 is alive today. You can’t have a memory of something you did not experience. They can remember the history – the history they were taught – but no one in Catalunya today was a victim of the Castillian invasion of Catalyuna. These are grudges fueled by history passed on – not by current reality and events. There are over 10 generations of people between then and now, conservatively. Time to move forward.

    No one choses to be born to whom they were born; if someone’s ancestor is a “traitor” or Catalaunian, or a Hutu or a Tutsi, or if they were a Boer supporting apartheid or a Zulu fighting colonialism, they are not responsible for the sins – or the blessings – of their ancestors.

    Also, Godwin.

  5. Once more, Aussie shows his fascist/autocratic roots.

    Good to know fascism is still alive and well in Spain (it even has supporters in Australia…it would seem).

    Aussie, do you have Spanish blood/roots? I’m sure that many of us would like to know (the assumption, though, is that yes, you must have).

  6. Also, I did not realize that 500 people signing a petition could ‘force’ the government to make changes in Spain.
    Maybe someone should let the Catalans and rioters in Madrid know that all they need to do is sign a petition and there will be no choice but to give them whatever they ask.

  7. I wonder how often the troll has been given a slapping but then again no, I can’t imagine him mouthing off face to face.

    As with the ass/aussie sunshine – the downside of the i/net.

    Mouth is worth nothing when Samhain is dancing all around.

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