The mayor of Puente de Génave (2,180 inhabitants, Jaén), Francisco García Avilés, belonging to Vox, was denounced by the Association for the Recovery of the Historical Memory of Jaén for the diffusion of symbols contrary to democratic memory in the Francoist calendars drawn up by him for distribution among the clients of the agency he owns.
This complaint adds to the information file opened by the Government Sub-delegation in Jaén, which transferred the contents of this calendar to the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, who is the one who has the power of initiative and resolution.
“We consider the barbarity of this diffusion a shame and a national embarrassment, which glorifies the Franco dictatorship, which brought so much death, violence, repression, poverty and backwardness to the Spanish people, with harsh reprisals against democratic victims and the homosexual community”, indicates the president of the Association for the recovery of the historical memory of Jaén, Miguel Ángel Valdivia.
The complaint, presented on behalf of the association’s board of directors and numerous relatives of the victims of the retaliations of the Franco dictatorship, focuses on the diffusion of symbols contrary to Democratic Memory through Facebook with the image of the dictator Franco and the unconstitutional flag, which he imposed during the Franco dictatorship. “It is an insult and an insult to the victims and their families,” adds Valdivia, who recalls that in the province of Jaén more than 3,000 people were shot by Franco’s dictatorship.
The PSOE of Puente de Génave also harshly criticized the dissemination of the mayor’s Francoist calendar, which motivated the criticism of the Puente de Génave city councilor on his social networks: “They think they represent the people, but don’t forget that I didn’t win the elections with insults and threats, I did it with the votes of the absolute majority, no matter how much this annoys and upsets them, that’s why they continue to fight it.”
Francisco García Avilés governs with an absolute majority in Puente de Génave, obtaining 49.16% of the votes and six of the corporation’s 11 municipal councilors, against four from the PSOE (which governed the municipality for three decades) and one from the PP. The far right increased from five to 28 municipal councilors in the province of Jaén, and Puente de Génave was the only Andalusian municipality where Vox was the most voted party in both local elections and the July 2023 general elections.
The mayor of Jaén is a repeat offender on the calendar issue. In 2024 he distributed 800 copies of an almanac among his customers which then reported the images of Franco and José Antonio Primo de Rivera with the phrase “I am responsible only to God and history”.
“This stains the good name of the city of Puente de Génave and insults the democratic and memorialist political parties,” said Miguel Ángel Valdivia, who calls for action from the public institutions responsible for the application of Law 20/22 on Democratic Memory.
