Franco History
Hundreds of towns and villages have been ordered to remove vestiges of General Franco’s dictatorship – including renaming streets.
A total of 1,171 roads and squares retain names or figures that were originally a homage to the dictator and his men, and the 656 local councils they belong to have been given instructions to wipe them out.
This falls in line with the Law of Historic Memory, passed in 2007, and the request has come from the ministry of justice.
another 19 towns are still holding onto ‘memorabilia’ which ‘exalts’ the Civil War or the Francoist regime, the ministry said.
Shields, coats of arms, statues, placards and other pro-Franco symbolism is required to be replaced or removed and the ministry of justice has threatened towns which do not comply with the loss of government grants.
Catalonia Row
The territorial crisis surrounding Catalonia returned to the forefront yesterday after the government announced it would accept a mediator to facilitate dialogue between Madrid and Barcelona, a decision that has prompted sharp rebukes and outrage not only among the center-right opposition – which has called for mass protests – but even within the ranks of the ruling Socialist party.
Accusing him of “high treason,” right-wing and far-right parties said they would protest together for the first time against Prime Minister Sanchez over his negotiations with Catalan separatists.
Centre-right Ciudadanos, the conservative Popular Party and far-right Vox all called on their supporters to gather at the central Plaza in Madrid on Sunday.
This is the first time that Spain’s right-wing opposition mobilises against Sanchez, who has been in power for eight months.
The protest will take place just two days before the high-profile trial of Catalan separatist leaders opens in Madrid under the national and foreign spotlight.
School Bus
Police immobilized a school bus after the driver tested positive for cannabis at a roadside check on Tuesday.
The Local Police in Elda in Alicante province stopped the vehicle as part of a national drive to ensure the safety of school transport.
Officials said in statement the bus had traveled from Villena and had also picked up students from the nearby town of Sax.
They said they would need to confirm the result with a saliva sample in a laboratory. The result will not be known for two weeks.
The bus was allowed to continue on its way once another driver, who was subjected to the same tests, was found.
The week-long DGT safety campaign checks that vehicles and drivers meet the requirements, safety measures, driving times, rest periods and other obligations.