The Arca heritage association has criticised the vandalism of the Juniper Serra statue in Palma and has welcomed the swift action in removing the graffiti.
Arca said on Tuesday that the statue forms part of history and is of a person who is relevant to Majorca and who has been recognised internationally, especially in the US.
The association maintains that past events cannot be revised according to current ideology and arguments without contextualising these and having objective reasons for analysing the facts. Historical facts, Arca argues, "are not black and white" as they are on "a scale of greys". The association suggests that from certain points of view "no monument or emblematic building would pass a test of human rights".
Knowing about heritage, Arca explains, is a means of a deeper understanding of the past and of drawing lessons so that certain errors aren't repeated. To erase the imprints of heritage by "deliberately concealing these from future generations" is "to ignore historical memory" and the wealth of information that elements of heritage transmit to society. The association thus rejects attempts to impose "supposedly emancipatory ideologies". Only from "civilisation, consensus and dialogue" will progress be made towards "a cultured society that is free of prejudice".