22/10/2008 00:00
TW
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By Jason Moore THE Palma city council caused quite a storm earlier this month when they removed the cross from outside the Cathedral which had been placed there in honour of all those who died fighting for Franco in the Spanish Civil war. The list of victims had long been removed but the cross remained. It´s removal sparked a storm but it is all part of a campaign across Spain to remove any statues or monuments erected during the Franco era. I suspect that few people realised that the cross by the Cathedral had any political ramifications and I also believe that it would have been a better idea if it had been left in place as a lasting monument to all who died in the Civil War. Also, earlier this month it was announced that one of Spain´s top judges Baltasar Garzon will start investigating the Civil War.

As a foreigner I will never understand the horrors of the Civil war but I also believe that now is not the time to open-up old wounds. With a global recession on the horizon perhaps it is better to leave what happened in the past where it is. As regards removing monuments, I don´t believe that you can just wipe away history. If the Spanish government believes that by taking away the few remaining monuments they can wipe away this era, they are deeply mistaken.