The military of Mutriku Txurruka will be disqualified in Palma de Mallorca
- The military Cosme Damian Txurruka, which has a statue in front of the town hall of Mutriku and is present in the public space of many towns of Euskal Herria, will continue to have one less street. The City Hall of Palma de Mallorca will change the name of the street that was given to him and eleven others during the Franco regime. The defence of the military has come to Mutriku, where a two-hour discussion has begun.
The City Council of Palma de Mallorca has decided to withdraw the name of twelve streets "for its connection with Franco".The City Council supports its decision in the Law of Memory and Democratic Recognition of the victims of the War and the Franco dictatorship of 1936. According to the mayor, the streets will be rechristened to give homogeneity to the names of the neighborhoods, recover the history of the city, reclaim the women and recover the traditional toponymy.
The controversy is due to the inclusion, among the nomenclatures being eliminated, of three military personnel who fought for the service of the Spanish Empire in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Pascual Cervera, who fought against the Cuban independentists in favor of Spain, and Federico Gravina and Cosme Damian Txurruka of Mutriku, known names and national heroes of the 18th century Spanish Navy. Both participated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 in defense of the Spanish Empire.
To these three soldiers, who in full Franco dedicated a street in Palma in 1942, the City Hall argues that they have names of warships in favor of Franco. However, some historians have pointed out that in the War of 1936 they were part of the Republican fleet and not of the Franco side. In any case, the decision of the City Hall has generated controversy and the media around Spanish nationalism have unanimously pronounced in defence of Txurruka and two other military. The honourable Members have offered their most absolute praise to the "two national heroes" of the Battle of Trafalgar and the Spanish Navy.
Praise also in Euskal Herria
The Department of Tourism of the City of Mutriku has published a letter in favour of Txurruka. The Department of Tourism of the Basque Government stresses that "the great navigator, known cartographer, enlightened sailor, is an exceptional and iconic character", in addition to publicizing the tourist activities organized around Txurruka.
Streets, squares and states in the imperial crisis
Kosme Damian Txurruka was a prominent member of the Spanish Navy in the 18th century and, among other things, was dedicated to the defense of the Spanish colonies around the world. He served the Spanish Army and the Monarchy for years until he was killed in the Battle of Trafalgar. He was mayor of Mutriku for a while. In 1805 he was killed by a gunshot in the Trafalgar War.
In the Basque Country and in the Spanish State there are numerous streets and squares that bear their name, among which the statue dedicated to the Spanish military stands out, right opposite the City Hall of Mutriku: It's been there since 1865. Many statues of military, conquerors and clergy in the service of Spain have been placed in Euskal Herria at that time, with the loss of colonies after the batea and the Spanish Empire, and nationalism itself, in the midst of crisis.
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