Spain is seeing a copycat wave of vandalisation of the statues of a Spanish missionary who is accused of directing the torture and enslavement of Native Americans after two statues were recently toppled in the United States.
Roman Catholic priest, Junípero Serra (November 24, 1713 – August 28, 1784), was from the Balearic island of Mallorca off Spain’s east coast and founded one of the first nine of 21 Spanish missions in California.
Serra, who was named the Apostle of California, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican City in 1988 and canonised by Pope Francis in 2015 during his first visit to the United States.
However, these acts of recognition were met with harsh criticisms from Native American organisations who say that Serra did nothing more than preside over a brutal enslavement, during which the natives were beaten and shackled so they could build their missions, whilst the indigenous culture, religions and language were prohibited and heavily punished.
Following the polemic death of George Floyd by police brutality in the US, the subject has resurfaced and angry crowds toppled two statues of Serra in San Francisco and Los Angeles on the 19th and 20th June amid cheering and chanting, after which they spray painted phrases like “Stolen Land” and “Decolonise.”
Following suit, two statues of Serra have been vandalised, one in the birthplace of the priest in the town of Petra, where they put a bag over the priests head and another in the capital, Palma de Mallorca, where the statue was spray-painted with the words “Racist” in red paint.
These acts of vandalism have been denounced by the Spanish Embassy in the United States who said they: “Profoundly lamented” these acts and reminded the public of: “the great efforts made by Serra in favour of the indigenous communities.”
A Spanish politician from left-wing party ‘Podemos’ (We Can), Sonia Vivas, spoke out on her social media account saying the statues should be taken down, saying: “Our cities speak through the names of their streets, monuments and statues. They tell a political story of elites and oligarchies.”
According to local media, the mayor of Palma de Mallorca, Jose Hila, reacted to her post simply saying that the opinion of Vivas does not represent the official position of the council.
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Story By: Lisa-Maria Goertz, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
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