Andreu Canet is one of the last survivors of the “baby bottle conscription.” Born in 1920, they were drafted as teenagers in an ill-fated bid to stop Franco from winning Spain’s civil war.
Tag: Monuments and Memorials (Structures)
Using a Law It Hates, Far Right in Spain Takes Aim at Franco’s Rivals
Vox, an ultranationalist party in Madrid, is working to remove memorials to Socialist figures of the 1930s, calling the effort a warning that a “law of historical memory” should be abolished.
Melania Trump Statue Returns in Slovenia. (This One Is Harder to Burn.)
The wooden original, erected last year near the first lady’s hometown, was set on fire in July. The replacement, made from bronze, is intended to last a bit longer, the commissioning artist said.
A Statue of Canada’s First Prime Minister Is Toppled, but Politicians Want It Restored
John A. Macdonald was a divisive figure who tried to wipe out Indigenous Canadian culture. Some leading politicians — including Trudeau — criticized the vandalism of his statue.
Should Montreal Subway Honor Polarizing Priest or Jazz Genius?
A fight to rename a metro stop pits those who want to celebrate a revered Black musician against those who want to retain the name of a priest who espoused equal rights for Francophone Quebecers — and also anti-Semitism.
Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Reopens as a Mosque
The Muslim faithful celebrated the decision by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, even as it generated dismay among Christians and architectural conservators.
Fire Hits Cathedral in French City of Nantes
The images of smoke pouring out of the Gothic building were a painful reminder of the fire that mauled Notre-Dame in Paris, but the authorities said the damage would not be as serious.
Bristol Removes Statue of Black Protester Jen Reid After One Day
The statue of Jen Reid, a Black Lives Matter protester, was raised on Wednesday in place of a toppled memorial to the slave trader Edward Colston.
Statue of Black Protester Is Raised in Place of Bristol Slave Trader
The image of Jen Reid, fist clenched atop the plinth in the English city where Edward Colston once stood, became a symbol of protest online. Now, it’s there in resin and steel.
In Russia, They Tore Down Lots of Statues, but Little Changed
“Waging war on bronze men doesn’t make your life any more moral or just,” one observer noted. “It does nothing really.”