Madrid to Rename Streets that Honor Dictatorship Heroes
Madrid city council announced Tuesday it would rename 30 streets that pay tribute to heroes of Francisco Franco's brutal dictatorship, such as a "butcher" general or a military unit that fought for the Nazis.
The Spanish capital's left-wing government announced in July it would enforce a nationwide "historical memory" law passed under the national Socialist government in 2007 that calls for the gradual replacement of symbols relating to Franco's 1939-75 rule.
That law had been resisted by previous conservative city administrations as Spain struggles to come to terms with the 1936-9 civil war and Franco's subsequent dictatorship -- particularly dark chapters of its recent history.
"As the first measure of the application of the historical memory law, the new government will start by changing the names of 30 streets in 16 districts," city hall announced, adding that the process would begin in the second quarter of 2016.
Streets to be renamed include "General Sagardia Ramos Street", which pays tribute to a nationalist who rose to prominence during the civil war.
He is known as the "Butcher of Pallars" for the massacre of Republicans in Pallars Sobira in the northeastern region of Catalonia by his troops.
Another is "The Street of the Fallen of the Blue Division", named after a unit of Spanish volunteers that fought for the Nazis in World War II.
Many streets have already been renamed under the 2007 law but according to historian Antonio Ortiz, there are still over 170 roads and squares in Madrid which still carry the names of dictatorship officials.
The city council also wants to destroy symbols of Franco that are still in evidence in Madrid, such as tombstones and monuments commemorating nationalist martyrs.
Source: Agence France Presse
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