The Democratic Memory Act explicitly prohibits the display of Francoist symbols of any kind in public places. That includes the controversial stalls set up at a market in Toledo’s Santa Teresa neighborhood this Tuesday. Next to the stalls selling fruit, clothing, and other types of products were stalls filled with imitations of pre-Constitutional and Falange flags, magnets, mugs, bracelets, and road signs bearing the names and faces of Franco and Primo de Rivera. A real orchard for those who miss the dictatorship and Francoism. Also on display is a portrait of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, holding the Spanish flag and the phrase “I love fruit.”
Vox Economic Promotion Councilor Juan Marin assured that the position number 96 after the market stall was last allocated was “in compliance with regulations”, noting that it was transferred by the municipal area engineer who oversees street sales and the local police itself. “To my knowledge, the sale of these products is not illegal,” Marin explained in a statement to SER Toledo. The mayor assures that the post has been given to Toledo for many years, even under the government of socialist Milagros Tron, former mayor and current representative of the government of Castilla-La Mancha. “The former mayor met with engineers and police and told them that the facility was legal and they could not ban the sale,” he said.
“You can sell the Spanish flag, and the Falange flag is also a legal political party, whether we like it or not, and selling photos of José Antonio Primo de Rivera and Franco is not illegal, as far as I know,” Marín said, noting that the stall “has a license to sell it.” merchandising“It’s not an apology per se for Francoism. They say ‘Long live the unity of Spain’ and they have pictures of the Legionary shield and the cross of St. Andrew, which as far as I know is not illegal,” he claims. This Tuesday’s attendance, he estimates, was due to its proximity to 20 degrees north latitude, the day of Franco’s death. PP, a non-partisan local government majority partner, is making a similar argument. Please remember that this position is not new. “It’s been going on for a long time, you pay the fees, you get the permits,” says city spokesman Juan José Alcalde.
As published by eldiario.es, the store’s presence in Toledo’s “Tuesday” market had already been condemned by Toledo City Council member IU-Vamos during the processing of the city’s new street vending ordinance. Among its complaints against the document, the group asked that articles indoctrinating democratic memory laws not be allowed for sale. That request fell on deaf ears. “We wanted to prevent the already permitted act of selling products glorifying fascism and Francoism. But the local government does not agree to that,” Chema Fernandes accused at the time. This Wednesday, the city council once again justified the facility’s existence. “The local police have no current or previous involvement in the matter,” a police spokesperson reiterated.
About The Author
