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Catafalque of José Antonio Primo de Rivera in Alicante cemetery. Miriam Gil Albert
The Empty Tomb Stirring Controversy in Alicante Cemetery

The Empty Tomb Stirring Controversy in Alicante Cemetery

The Civic Commission for Historical Memory demands the removal of José Antonio Primo de Rivera's catafalque from the municipal cemetery

Tere Compañy Martínez

Alicante

Viernes, 10 de enero 2025, 07:28

The Civic Commission for Historical Memory in Alicante has called for the removal of the catafalque of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, which remains in plot 12 of the municipal cemetery. The monument, honouring the founder of the Falange, is located where his body was identified by his brother after being executed following the 1936 uprising. This elevated tomb, adorned with Falange colours, has become a pilgrimage site for Falangists from across the country, situated among other mass graves from the Civil War, such as those of the victims of the Central Market bombing, and from the Franco regime. The catafalque is also one of the remnants of the dictatorship in the city, along with

the Maisonnave cross recently protected by the TSJ, considering it redefined.

Despite the fact that José Antonio's remains were removed from Alicante cemetery over 80 years ago and now rest in San Isidro cemetery in Madrid, after passing through Escorial and Cuelgamuros, this is one of the reasons why

the Civic Commission for Historical Memory in Alicante has once again requested the City Council to remove this vestige of the Civil War from Alicante cemetery.

In a meeting last December with the cemetery councillor, Cristina García Garri, they reiterated this demand, which they have been making for over 20 years. "It is an insult to the dignity of those who have been poorly buried next to the catafalque for too many years," insisted one of the members of this entity, Vicente Carrasco. In this cemetery plot, not only is the Falangist leader's catafalque present, but there are also several mass graves from the war.

Quadrant 12 where the mass graves of Alicante cemetery are located. Miriam Gil Albert

This is why the commission's request goes beyond the removal of the catafalque. They also demand compliance with the historical memory law, the excavation of the graves, and the identification of the more than 100 people buried there to reunite them with their families. Following this process, they propose the construction of a memorial in plot 12 of Alicante cemetery to "remember and respect those who have been buried there for so many years."

In that memorial, Carrasco insists that the monument to

José Antonio has no place . "This catafalque makes no sense, and no one is buried there; the Falangists buried with José Antonio were returned to their families in Novelda," explains this representative. He adds that this structure "is neither appropriate nor suitable to be where it is and only incites vandals to appear on November 20th to destroy the memories that families still leave in the graves of plot 12."

The platform has thanked councillor Cristina García for her willingness to visit the area. However, they consider this cemetery space to be completely neglected. Yet, they acknowledge "having little hope" that the catafalque will be removed and the monument constructed. During the last term, they developed a project and even secured funding from the Generalitat's participatory budgets for its removal. However, this project was never executed.

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