Spain will decide the fate of the Franco monument: whether to demolish it or change its appearance.

The Minister of Historical Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, hopes that the Franco monument in Santa Cruz de Tenerife will either be demolished, or, if experts decide it is a cultural heritage site, its appearance will be changed.

After a meeting with the mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Torres told reporters that it is necessary to wait for the experts' conclusions. They must decide whether there are valid reasons to consider this monument a cultural heritage site.

If so, according to the minister, it is necessary to clearly explain what this monument is, what it symbolizes, and what it stood for. "So that everyone who sees it understands this," he added.

"And if the monument is not recognized as a cultural heritage site, then it is necessary to act according to the law and dismantle it," the minister said after a meeting with the city's mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, which he called "good and courteous."

Torres added that he agrees with the mayor "on many issues," because democrats must be united in their desire to remove everything that contradicts democracy.

Regarding the recognition of the monument as a cultural heritage site, the minister did not want to express his opinion, but emphasized that it is "obvious" that this monument is part of history, which must be remembered in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

"There cannot be a monument that glorifies an era when there was no freedom, when people were tortured and persecuted for their views. It cannot remain as it was originally conceived," he concluded.