CATEGORY 5 REMOVAL / REQUEST FOR REMOVAL / RESIGNIFICATION OF MONUMENTS OR STREET NAMES OR VANDALISM ( PUBLIC SPACE )
1 . Renaming of the street “ Rambla d ’ Antoni Vidal ” to “ La Rambla ”. ( November 2018 ). Initiative of Guíxols des del Carrer ( Sant Feliu de Guíxols )
Name of the initiative
Year Participants Status
Renaming of the street “ Rambla d ’ Antoni Vidal ” to “ La Rambla ”. |
2018 |
Guíxols des del Carrer ( Sant Feliu de Guixols ) |
Request approved |
Description : |
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The Catalan town of Sant Feliu de Guíxols ( province of Girona ) renamed one of its main streets . What had been Rambla d ’ Antoni Vidal since 1889 was changed to La Rambla in October 2018 . The modification was the result of a motion that the municipal group of this same locality , Guíxols des del Carrer , presented in the municipal plenary session on 25 May 2017 with the support of other political groups such as the CUP .
The change of the name came about after research by historian Gustau Nerín in the book “ Traficants d ' ànimes . Els negrers espanyols a l ' Àfrica ” ( 2015 ) pointed to Antoni Vidal ( 1806 - 1888 ) as an active slave trader in the transatlantic traffic of enslaved Africans in the 19th century ( illegal stage ). Moreover , Antoni Vidal , a businessman living in Marseille , was one of the main benefactors of Sant Feliu de Guíxols , his hometown . After Vidal ’ s death , the town council of the time decided to name one of the main streets of the town after him .
The residents of Sant Feliu de Guíxols , after learning of Gustau Nerín ’ s research and after he himself gave a lecture on the subject , decided that a businessman dedicated to the slave trade could not occupy the name of one of the town ’ s main roads .
Links and sources : File of “ Guíxols des del Carrer ” presented in the municipal plenary session on 25 May 2017 where the change of name was approved . ( Mayo 18 , 2017 ). https :// drive . google . com / file / d / 0B0B2Uqj7qu4tSzFIZGMtelVWYVU / view ? resourcekey = 0- 3WZkXEwTsGYB4H09bF1tcw Article by “ Guíxols des del Carrer ”, “ Antoni Vidal , benefactor i esclavista ”, ( May 25 , 2017 ). https :// guixolsdesdelcarrer . cat /? p = 2567 Article by Gustau Nerín , “ Adéu a la Rambla Vidal ”, ( October 13 , 2018 ): https :// guixolsdesdelcarrer . cat /? p = 3203
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