5 . Demonstration against the celebration of the 5th centenary of the discovery of the Americas
Name of the initiative
Year Participants Status
Demonstration against the celebration of the 5th centenary of the discovery of the Americas
1992
Congress of Deputies and various groups
Description
In 1992 , the year of the commemoration of the 5th centenary of the “ discovery ” of America , different collectives in defence of indigenous rights organised demonstrations against the event in several Spanish cities . The protests took place in a context of strong mobilisations to contest the event throughout the American continent .
One of the most controversial and emblematic protests in Spain was the protest that took place in the city of Seville on 19 April 1992 , on the occasion of the universal exposition , Expo ‘ 92 . One week before Expo ‘ 92 was held ( from 20 April to 12 October 1992 ), a day was organised to present the 5th centenary . As a result , the Seville government delegation arbitrarily decided to ban street protests . On 19 April , the day before the opening of the exhibition , several groups organised an “ Anti 92 ” concert in the Alameda district of Seville . This was followed by a demonstration for freedom of expression that was harshly repressed by the National Police with live ammunition , culminating in the arrest of 88 people and three people shot and wounded during the charge . To this figure we must also add the torture in police stations and the application of the immigration law to illegally expel migrants who had taken part in the protest , overruled years later by the Supreme Court . On 12 October 1991 , a demonstration had already been called by the movement “ 500 years of Black and Popular Indigenous Resistance ” and the collective “ Desenmascaremos el ‘ 92 ” to condemn the “ Discovery ”, which began at the Torre del Oro and ended with the occupation of Seville Cathedral and the desecration of the tomb of Christopher Columbus .
Another of the most important demonstrations in Spain took place on 12 October 1992 in the city of Barcelona . The event consisted of a march from La Rambla to the Columbus monument . This demonstration , which was uneventful and had a strong police presence , took place under the slogan “ no tenim res a celebrar ” [ in English , “ we have nothing to celebrate ”]. A sculpture depicting a bleeding heart by Benno Rwinkel was displayed as an allegory of the massacre perpetrated by the conquistadors against South American cultures . Once there , the demonstrators handed out a leaflet to passers-by which read “ amb la celebració del descobriment , celebrem un error no assimilat , una història falsa . I aquí estem , confrontats amb el cor de Colom que palpita juntament al cor de totes les victims ” [ in English , “ by celebrating the discovery , we are celebrating an unassimilated error , a false story . And here we are , confronted with the heart of Columbus that beats alongside the heart of all the victims ”.]
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