La Rápita and Castrillo: Name Changes Under Debate

Participant claims 18% of census supported name change

According to one participant, a municipality in Tarragona, formerly known as San Carlos de la Rápita, is now simply La Rápita. The stated reason for the change was to remove the reference to Charles III, a king described as fascist. The change was approved. The details, however, are noteworthy.

How was La Rápita's name changed?

The same participant explains that a local referendum set two conditions beforehand: an absolute majority and that this majority represented at least 20% of the census. The first condition was met. The second was not. 26% of the population voted, with 70% of votes in favor. According to their calculation, this support amounts to 18% of the total census. The agreed threshold was different. The change proceeded nonetheless.

The material does not allow for verification of the referendum or the name change beyond this account.

From Castrillo Matajudios to la Mota de Judíos

Another participant points out that this is not an isolated incident: Castrillo Matajudios, in Burgos, was called that until about ten years ago, when it became Castrillo de Mota de Judíos.

According to other participants, the phenomenon is not exclusively Spanish: one claims an attempt to change the Swiss flag failed; another argues that the coat of arms of Aragon, with its four royal heads on the shield, was also targeted as offensive. Regarding the St. George's cross, England's, some claim the Genoese assert its origin. The idea of changing the English flag appears in the material only as a prediction or joke by some participants, not as a backed demand.

The material does not allow for verification of these points beyond the participants' comments.