The village of El Borge in the Axarquía, with around a thousand inhabitants, is immersed in a controversy over an avenue named Che Guevara.

Now, this street has borne this name for the last 25 years after the far-left, IU party decided to honour this South American left-wing icon. At the time, Mayor José Antonio Ponce was in office, serving from 1995 to 2011.

Fast forward to today and the present socialist (PSOE) Mayor, Raúl Vallejo, who enjoys an absolute majority, decided that Che should pack his bags and the street be renamed Avenida de La Pasa, (Raisan Avenue) because the village’s  agricultural sector produces moscatel raisin grapes.

The Mayor said that this decision was taken because it, “responds to a desire to depoliticise public space, seeking to promote a more harmonious, respectful and cohesive coexistence.”

The IU, with its three councillors, says that there is no social demand for such a change and that this drive to “depolitise” street names has had the exact opposite effect. The party Spokesperson, Pablo Rey, said that this street-name changing is going on all over Spain, normally brought about under pressure from the far-right Vox party.

“Deleting a name that has never generated conflict is not depoliticising: it is creating a problem where there was none,” said Councillor Rey, adding, “Avenida Che Guevara has been part of our daily history for 25 years, and changing it now would only serve to add El Borge to a list of decisions motivated more by partisan interests than by the real will of its residents.

Mayor Vallejo said that the new name represents all the residents of the municipality, since they are a town of moscatel-raisin-grape farmers. “It is rooted in the identity of our area,” he said.

Furthermore, the Mayor considers that Che Guevara is “a highly controversial historical figure who, although relevant in the history of the 20th century, generates division among locals due to his connection with episodes of political violence, repression and ideological polarisation.” Instead, the new name “reinforces the local character, fosters a sense of belonging and eliminates any ideological burden that could divide citizens.”

(News: El Borges, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)

Keywords: Che Guevara, IU, PSOE, Socialist, Far-Left IU, Far-Right Vox, Muscatel Raisin Grapes, Avenida, Mayor

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