Girona changes name of square from ‘Constitution’ to ‘October 1’

The latest developments in Catalan politics have involved prison, politicians moving to Brussels, direct rule of the country, a snap election imposed by Madrid and a very atypical political climate in the country. Yet, one of the unexpected side effects involves the naming of squares. On Monday evening, the Girona council decided to change the name of the Plaça de la Constitució (or Spanish Constitution square) to Plaça de l’U d’Octubre (or October 1 square), in order to commemorate the referendum that took place in Catalonia on that day in 2017 and the violence carried out by the Spanish police.  

Out of the 25 local councilors in Girona, in northern Catalonia, 18 voted in favor of the initiative, including the mayor, Marta Madrenas. “The Constitution is not democracy, it has lost all legitimacy,” she said during the local plenary session. Madrenas claimed that because of the Spanish Magna Carta, there are “people in exile, victims of reprisal and Article 155 has been applied,” in reference to the provision in the Constitution enabling the suspension of the self-rule of Spain’s territories.