Canary Islands Mark 90 Years Since Murder of Educator José Galán Hernández

The Canary Islands are revisiting one of their darkest chapters as they mark 90 years since the assassination of José Galán Hernández. A teacher and union leader, Galán’s life and career were cut short by the systematic repression that followed the 1936 coup d'état. Research by journalist José Francisco López Felipe confirms that Galán was held at the Fyffes prison in Santa Cruz de Tenerife before being taken to the Anaga coast, where he was thrown into the sea with weights—a brutal method used to eliminate the leadership of the UGT teachers' federation.

Born in Tacoronte in 1893, Galán was more than just a victim of political violence. He was a forward-thinking educator with an early passion for environmentalism, which he frequently championed in his writing. As a contributor to publications like Las Noticias and Gaceta de Tenerife, and as the director of the magazine Trabajadores de la Enseñanza, he advocated for social change and brotherhood. According to historian Octavio Rodríguez Delgado, these progressive values likely made him a target for arrest.

The impact of his death devastated his family. His wife, Remedios Pérez Hernández, and their seven children faced years of poverty and social stigma. Because an official death certificate was not issued until 1947, his widow was denied basic rights, and the family was forced to hide his personal and literary belongings to avoid further persecution. This forced silence persisted for decades. Even today, efforts to honor his memory in his hometown have faced administrative hurdles, despite other municipalities like Los Realejos and Güímar successfully incorporating his name into their local heritage.

In 2012, the discovery of a chest containing Galán’s manuscripts, photographs, and poetry—including his collection Troqueles—offered a new opportunity to recover his work. These writings, which range from children’s plays to political essays, are now being preserved by the José Galán Hernández Project. This effort highlights the ongoing struggle between the regime’s attempt to erase the past and the modern commitment to restoring dignity to those who were silenced and cast into the Atlantic.