Schoolchildren in Catalonia will receive training in democratic memory from 6 to 18 years of age, a subject that will be incorporated into the educational curriculum, as provided for in the draft law on democratic memory that was presented this Wednesday by the Minister of Justice, Rights and Memory, Gemma Ubasart. The norm, which the Government will approve next Tuesday, to send it to the Parliament, where it must complete its processing, also provides for the withdrawal of all Francoist symbology in public spaces in Catalonia within a period of two years, new measures against acts of exaltation of Francoism, and includes two new dates for the celebration in terms of democratic memory: Republic Day, which will be commemorated on April 14, and Constitution Day of the Assemblea de Catalunya, on November 7.
Ubasart explained that the future democratic memory law will allow "to move towards a new paradigm in memory policies" at a time of generational change, in which many people not only have not lived through the Civil War or the Franco dictatorship, but also the Transition or the first decades of democracy. Hence the importance they give to the incorporation of the contents in democratic memory in all stages of education, from Primary Education to Baccalaureate.
"It is essential to introduce democratic memory into educational curricula as an element to reinforce the guarantees of non-repetition" provided by law, Ubasart pointed out. The text does not specify how this training will be provided, a decision that depends on the Department of Education, he has pointed out, although from Justícia they will provide the pedagogical tools for the training of teachers and professors. From this department, a training program in democratic memory is also planned for the group of judges and prosecutors and also specific training for the application of the norm. "It is a law that makes different departments and different administrative levels collaborate and in which social entities have played a prominent role," said Ubasart, who recalled that the work for this legislation began during the term of Minister Ester Capella (ERC), continued during the stage of Lourdes Ciuró (Junts) and is now culminating.
The future law includes two new days of recognition and homage in terms of democratic memory: Republic Day, which will be celebrated on April 14, and the Day of Constitució de l'Assemblea de Catalunya, on November 7. “The commemoration of Republic Day is important because we consider it a precedent for the current democratic framework. We feel like heirs. The Assemblea de Catalunya was the unitary body for the anti-Francoist struggle”, argued Ubasart. “We want to highlight this unitary spirit as it shows that the country advances when we are capable of building great consensus around shared objectives”, he added.
Among the novelties of the law, the obligation to remove the Francoist symbols from public space within a maximum period of two years is included, and the symbology census will be updated to determine what remains to be done. "It is intolerable that an advanced democracy maintains monuments exalting a dictatorship in the public space", stressed the minister.
Among the measures against the exaltation of Francoism, the law wants to prevent and prevent public acts that involve "discredit, contempt or humiliation of the victims of the Civil War or the dictatorship." And it provides sanctions for those who carry out acts of this nature. The penalty regime provided for in the law ranges from 200 to 150,000 euros for the most serious offences.
The law involves consolidating previous Catalan legislation into a single text, so that a stable and clear regulatory framework will be generated. Catalonia has until today the Llei del Memorial Democràtic (2007), the Llei de Foses (2009), referring to people disappeared during the war and common graves, and the law of legal reparation for victims of Francoism (2017).
