The UAB erases the historical mural of the independentist left

The rectorate of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has erased the historical mural that the pro-independence left painted more than thirteen years ago in the Plaça Cívica. This decision comes as a result of a court ruling against the mural, stemming from a complaint filed by the Spanish organization Impulso Ciudadano. This entity, founded by what would become Ciutadans deputy José Domingo, had been fighting in court for seven years to have the mural by the Sindicat d'Estudiants dels Països Catalans (SEPC), which bore the slogan: "Independence, socialism, and feminism," removed. In conversation with ARA, UAB sources explained that they have simply complied with "judicial precautionary measures that were firm within the compliance period," and stated that if it were to be painted again, it would have to be erased again.

In fact, they emphasize that they filed appeals, but they were dismissed, and since October 2024, the precautionary measures ordering the mural's removal have been firm, pending the final judgment on the merits of the case, which is yet to come. Therefore, they add that since then they have covered and erased the mural several times, but it has been repainted. "It's one more time," they affirm.

The SEPC has criticized that the mural was erased during the Easter holidays, "when many students are not on campus," and has denounced that the mural's elimination is part of "a broader context of repression and dismantling of the student movement, which seeks to impose a false neutrality within educational institutions." "This 'neutrality' is nothing more than a tool to silence critical thinking and limit student organization," the pro-independence union added in a statement.

The student association denounces a Hispanist offensive in the faculties, and gives as an example "the impunity with which reactionary groups like S’ha Acabat or figures like Vito Quiles act", who already tried to hold a talk in the same faculty without authorization, but ended in disturbances due to the protests of anti-fascist university students. "The censorship of the Mural Històric is not an isolated incident, but rather another step in this dynamic. In a context of demobilization and the rise of fascism, allowing this censorship opens the door to an increasingly controlled university without graffiti, murals, and other forms of expression that reflect the conflicts and struggles of the student movement", states the SEPC, which will hold a press conference this Wednesday to denounce the removal of the mural.