Controversy in Alcobendas over streets named after Largo Caballero and La Pasionaria
A walk through Alcobendas, Spain, reopens the dispute over streets honouring Largo Caballero and La Pasionaria: names some defend and others want removed.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The streets of Alcobendas that keep the memory of Largo Caballero and La Pasionaria alive
Alcobendas, a city of large corporations and industrial estates, keeps an uncomfortable reminder in its street map: streets dedicated to Francisco Largo Caballero and Dolores Ibárruri, two names that run through the history of the Republic and the Civil War.
A comparison that inflames tempers
Some demand that these plaques be removed and do not hesitate to equate these figures with ETA leaders such as Otegi or Txapote. At the opposite end, others recall their institutional role in the Republican government and dismiss the comparison as excessive. Spain's Democratic Memory Law, which requires the removal of symbols opposed to democracy, sits at the centre of the dispute.
The gesture that divides friends and strangers
One of the most striking issues is the final episode of Dolores Ibárruri's life: according to several accounts, La Pasionaria received the last rites before dying. For some, that act shows sincere repentance. For others, it was nothing more than a formality carried out out of antiestéticar.
The underlying question remains: should the street map become a museum of history or a reflection of present-day memory? With the memory law still under debate, Alcobendas will keep looking at its plaques with discomfort.
Alcobendas, a city of large corporations and industrial estates, keeps an uncomfortable reminder in its street map: streets dedicated to Francisco Largo Caballero and Dolores Ibárruri, two names that run through the history of the Republic and the Civil War.
A comparison that inflames tempers
Some demand that these plaques be removed and do not hesitate to equate these figures with ETA leaders such as Otegi or Txapote. At the opposite end, others recall their institutional role in the Republican government and dismiss the comparison as excessive. Spain's Democratic Memory Law, which requires the removal of symbols opposed to democracy, sits at the centre of the dispute.
The gesture that divides friends and strangers
One of the most striking issues is the final episode of Dolores Ibárruri's life: according to several accounts, La Pasionaria received the last rites before dying. For some, that act shows sincere repentance. For others, it was nothing more than a formality carried out out of antiestéticar.
The underlying question remains: should the street map become a museum of history or a reflection of present-day memory? With the memory law still under debate, Alcobendas will keep looking at its plaques with discomfort.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (41 replies).
More summaries
-
Dolores Ibarruri —La Pasionaria— died devoutly Catholic, sentimental, and confessing. She was never seen on the front lines with a rifle.
Dolores Ibárruri, La Pasionaria, died a devout Catholic and without having wielded a rifle. Discover the details of her private life and legacy.
-
What is Sánchez calling the 'Deep State'? (Francisco Rosell in El Debate)
The Spanish President, **Pedro Sánchez**, is accused of using the term "Deep State" to discredit those who challenge him. We analyze the concept and its application.
-
Sequera: The Analyst Dividing His Followers
Analyst Sequera challenges the narrative of Spain: Spengler, Hispanicity, conquest, and contemporary decline.
-
PP-Vox coalition: predicted tax hikes and pension freezes
Speculation on a PP-Vox government includes audits, spending cuts, higher VAT, lower IRPF, and frozen pensions.
-
Gisbert reported to police: when Holocaust denial collides with the law
The Spanish group ACOM has filed a complaint against lawyer Gisbert for Holocaust denial. The prior cost: 500,000 dollars spent on legal defenses.
-
Spain's PSOE lost in 2023 yet governs: the math that repeats the trick
In 2023 Spain's right won more votes but could not govern: it fell two seats short. The precedent that explains why nobody takes the result for granted.