UAB students will repaint the pro-independence mural that was erased

The Student Union of the Catalan Countries (SEPC) has called to repaint the pro-independence mural in Plaça Cívica of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) next Tuesday, April 14, at 12 p.m., after the university decided, at judicial request, to erase it during the absence of activity on campus for Easter. "We will not let them get away with it and we will repaint the mural as many times as necessary," warned the spokespersons of the pro-independence union. The two members of the union who spoke at the press conference stated that defending the mural is defending "collective memory, student organization, and the politicization of campuses to fight for a better future." In this regard, the SEPC justifies the "struggle from the classrooms" for independent, socialist, and feminist Catalan Countries.

The SEPC has also criticized the UAB's decision to completely erase the mural, when the judicial order of 2024 only required "covering" it as a precautionary measure until a final ruling, which has not yet occurred. They say it represents "a violation of collective rights and a setback for political freedoms." In conversation with ARA, UAB sources replied that they have simply complied with "judicial precautionary measures that were firm in their compliance period," and said that if it were repainted, 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 erasure of the mural have been firm, pending the ruling on the merits of the case, which has yet to come. Therefore, they add that since then they have covered and erased the mural several times, but it has been repainted. "This is one more time," they state. The case is being handled by administrative court number 9 of Barcelona.

The decision by the UAB rectorate to erase the historical mural painted by the pro-independence left over thirteen years ago in Plaça Cívica was made following a judicial resolution, resulting from a complaint filed by the Spanish nationalist organization Impulso Ciudadano. This entity, founded by what would become a Ciudadanos deputy, José Domingo, had been fighting judicially for seven years to have the mural, which bore the slogan: "Independence, socialism, and feminism," removed.

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 centers." "This 'neutrality' is nothing more than a tool to silence critical thinking and limit the organization of students," the pro-independence union added in a statement.

The student association denounces a Spanish nationalist 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 at 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 event, but one more 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 this Wednesday has confirmed that they will not stand idly by.