Francisco García Avilés, the mayor of Puente de Genave (Jaén, population 2,180), who is affiliated with Vox, was accused by Jaén’s Historical Memory Recovery Association of disseminating symbols contrary to democratic memory in a Franco calendar he compiled for distribution to clients of his institution.
The complaint was added to the information file opened by the government branch in Jaén, which transferred the contents of the calendar to the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, who has the authority to initiate and resolve it.
“We consider the barbarity of this dissemination to be a disgrace and a shame for the country. It glorifies the Franco dictatorship, which brought so much death, violence, oppression, poverty and backwardness to the Spanish people, and harsh reprisals against the victims of democracy and the gay community,” points out Miguel Ángel Valdivia, president of the Association for the Restoration of Historical Memory in Jaén.
The complaint, filed on behalf of the association’s board of directors and several relatives of victims of reprisals by Franco’s dictatorship, focuses on the use of Facebook to spread symbols that violate the memory of democracy, including images of dictator Franco and the unconstitutional flag he imposed during his dictatorship. “This is an insult and an insult to the victims and their families,” Valdivia added. He recalled that more than 3,000 people were shot dead by Franco’s dictatorship in the province of Jaén.
The PSOE of the Municipality of Puente de Genave has also strongly criticized the mayor’s dissemination of the Franco Calendar, which has provoked criticism on social networks from Puente de Genave councilors. “They think they represent the people, but remember that I didn’t win the election by insults and threats. No matter how much I irritated and upset them, I won with an absolute majority of votes. That’s why they keep fighting the election.”
Francisco García Avilés has an absolute majority in Puente de Genave, receiving 49.16% of the vote and holding 6 of the 11 city council members. This compared to four in the PSOE (which has ruled the city for 30 years) and one in the PP. The far-right has increased from five to 28 city council members in the province of Jaén, and Puente de Genave is the only municipality in Andalusia where Box is the party with the most votes in both local elections and the July 2023 general election.
The mayor of Jaén is a habitual offender of calendar problems. In 2024, he distributed 800 yearbooks to his clients, with portraits of Franco and José Antonio Primo de Rivera and the phrase “I am responsible only to God and history.”
“This dishonors the town of Puente de Genave and insults the democratic and memorialist parties,” said Miguel Ángel Valdivia, calling for action by the public authorities responsible for applying Articles 20 and 22 of the Law on Democratic Memory.
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