Rob Kiteley
CASTELLON authorities have allocated €26,000 euros to the construction of a memorial statue which will pay homage to the victims of the Spanish Civil War.
Socialist Mayor of Castello Amparo Marco said that the memorial would be “a space of dignity for the victims of the Franco regime, for the forgotten who deserve to be remembered”.
He said that “democratic society must continue to seek recognition for those who suffered persecution or violence for political, ideological reasons, of conscience or religious belief, of sexual orientation and identity”.
Authorities hosted a ceremony in tribute of the victims at San José de Castelló cemetery, but the event has caused controversy among the political left.
Representatives of left wing political party Compromís did not attend the ceremony, and publicly attacked the socialist mayor for not inviting them. They claim that the mayor had chosen to politicize the event by inviting only members of his own party. Other civil groups have laid the same claims against the mayor.
The mayor said that the statue would be a “permanent testimony for the people of Castellón today, but, above all, it will be a democratic lesson for the citizens of tomorrow”.
READ MORE:
- MELILLA MAKES HISTORY REMOVING ‘LAST STATUE OF FRANCO IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE IN SPAIN’
- COURT HALTS EFFORTS TO REMOVE FRANCO MONUMENT IN CATALUNYA AFTER CAMPAIGN BY LOCALS
