Drilling machines vandalized at Spain's Valley of the Fallen

Drilling machines at the Valley of the Fallen vandalized

The early hours of the second day of work at the Valley of the Fallen esplanade were far from peaceful. When workers arrived first thing in the morning, they found the two drilling machines—which had only begun drilling the ground in front of the basilica 24 hours earlier—completely destroyed. "They are smashed," a witness summarized. The equipment was found covered in graffiti targeting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, as part of the plan for the "resignification" (reinterpretation of the site's historical meaning) of the funerary monument.

The facts: rapid sabotage

The drills, rented to carry out the first excavations of the project, had barely worked for a few hours. According to circulating reports, no surveillance measures had been installed beyond the perimeter fence. The perpetrators acted during the night, either accessing the site from the monastery's guesthouse or jumping the fence, and quickly rendered the machinery useless. In addition to the material damage, they left graffiti with clear political content. Sources from the Comunidad Benedictina (Benedictine Community), the property owner, have lamented the events, describing them as incompatible with respect for people and public property.

Two interpretations of the attack

Two conflicting views have emerged regarding the incident. On one hand, some defend the sabotage as an act of "heritage defense," arguing that the project to clear the esplanade and dig a large hole at the foot of the basilica is a deliberate destruction of the monument. For them, the machines were the tools of this abusa, and disabling them was a necessary civic act. On the other hand, suspicions are growing that the government may have sought a provocation: the attack occurred just before the Pope's visit, without the works having the necessary licenses. This coincidence fuels the "false flag" theory: creating a scenario of violence to accelerate the narrative of "resignification" and justify a harsher response.

Legal and ecclesiastical background

According to numerous voices, the "resignification" project lacks the required permits. The basilica remains an active place of worship, and any intervention should have the approval of the Comunidad Benedictina, which has already expressed its rejection. The congregation has not only condemned the vandalism but also pointed out that the lack of respect for institutions and public property comes precisely from those who brought in the machinery without due process. "As far as we know, no procedures were trinc," a spokesperson noted. The project, which includes dismantling the staircase and excavating a massive hole, would represent a radical alteration of the monumental complex.

A divisive project

The winner of the redesign contest proposes a gigantic hole at the entrance of the basilica, which would prevent access for years and, according to critics, risk the stability of the structure. "With a bit of luck and some vibrations, the whole thing might collapse," some analyses ironically suggest. The cross crowning the monument has become the symbol of the dispute: for some, it represents reconciliation; for others, Francoist imposition. Meanwhile, the cost of the operation—both economic and political—has not yet been officially quantified.

The immediate result of the sabotage is the halting of works and the likely installation of permanent surveillance. However, the underlying conflict—between the right to intervene in public space and the defense of heritage—remains unresolved. At the center of it all are the smashed machines, telling a story much longer than a single night of vandalism.