Rocafort City Council (Valencia) paints over a "Free Palestina" mural
DATE
LOCATION
TARGETED PERSON/INSTITUTION
Illustrator Galleta María and the artists who painted the mural; local groups
DOMAIN/FIELD
RESPONSIBLE FOR BAN
Rocafort City Council (PP-Vox coalition, Mayor Gorka Gómez)
On 28 May 2024, the day the Spanish government officially recognised the State of Palestine, Rocafort City Council had a mural painted over in white. The mural had been created on 26 March on the Acequia promenade. The work, by illustrator Galleta María and other local artists, carried the messages "Free Palestina", "Cease Fire Now" and "We are all against the genocidal state of Israel".
Mayor Gorka Gómez (PP) justified the removal on the grounds that no prior authorisation had been obtained, citing Article 10 of the municipal bylaw on civic coexistence. At the following council meeting, he said he wanted to remove any mural of a political or religious nature or relating to gay people. Following criticism from the opposition (Guanyem Rocafort) and residents, he publicly apologised for these remarks.
In response, residents put up a collective panel on the whitewashed wall and hung banners reproducing the mural from their balconies. Musicians from the local music society displayed Palestinian flags during the Corpus Christi festivities.