Cross of Morkaiku in Elgoibar Torn Down
On the night of 18 November 2025, unknown individuals demolished the Cross of Morkaiku in Elgoibar, Gipuzkoa—an act now under police investigation. The cross, originally erected during Spain’s Franco regime, had sparked ongoing local tensions over the presence of religious symbols linked to the dictatorship, despite its historical recontextualisation.
Unidentified individuals demolished the Cross of Morkaiku in Elgoibar, Gipuzkoa, during the night of November 18, 2025, using equipment found in two vehicles at the site. The monument, originally erected under Spain’s Franco regime, had been the subject of local debate over its meaning and place in public memory.
The monument had been stripped of its original inscription and, according to the Elgoibar City Council, was preserved as a “witness of the era” to remember the victims of that time. Expert recommendations had advised against removal, favouring educational measures such as contextual signage and inclusion in the town’s “Ruta de la Memoria.” In its statement, the Council stressed: “For the people of Elgoibar, the Cross of Morkaiku is not a place of remembrance or exaltation of the Franco regime, but rather is identified with mountaineering and as another symbol of our town.” Local police and the Ertzaintza are treating the act as an unauthorised attack on a structure of religious and historical significance.
Source: Europe Press
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