A marble plaque that hardly anyone looks for remains on one side of the bridge that connects Paseo Colom, at the height of the Capitanía palace, with the Moll de la Fusta. It was strategically placed there so that it was practically invisible. It was made and placed to commemorate the Day of the Armed Forces that was celebrated in Barcelona in 1981, a very high-risk event, since it had only been three months since the 23-F coup attempt.
That Armed Forces Day, which actually lasted for a week, was full of potential instability. Therefore, it was organized in detail. It had to stage the communion between the citizens and an army that had to show its commitment to democracy after the coup of Milans del Bosch, Tejero and company.
The first important decision was that it be held in Barcelona, a city governed by the socialists in coalition with the communists of the PSUC and the seat of the autonomous government of Catalonia, chaired by the nationalist Jordi Pujol, who has become one of the icons of that long night. of kidnapping of the Congress of Deputies. Pujol was the first state authority to address the population after speaking with the King.
Although the traditional parade was on May 31 on the Diagonal, throughout that week there was an intense schedule of events. One of the settings was precisely the Moll de la Fusta, but there was more. For this reason, a large part of the weight of the organization and fine-tuning of the different spaces fell on the city council, then directed by Narcís Serra. Councilor Lluís Reverter was in charge of keeping all that delicate machinery well-oiled.
Serra and Reverter accomplished the mission with flying colors. The first democratic mayor of Barcelona became the first defense minister of a PSOE government the following year. Reverter went with Serra to the ministry and later to the vice presidency. Both successfully led the military reform.
The Moll de la Fusta plaque was placed years later with a very measured text, which begins with the commemoration of Armed Forces Day under the presidency of King Juan Carlos I, and then celebrates the transfer of Moll de la Fusta to the city.
