The Felipe VI Ring Road in Elche is in the news again, but not because of traffic. This time, the huge Spanish flag that flies over the newly named part of the Ronda Sur Road was actually taken down from its flagpole. The City Council found out about the theft and according to city officials, the national flag was quickly replaced.
Mistake
Since the local PP-Vox coalition administration changed the name of the neighbourhood last June, this isn’t the first time it has been damaged. At the end of September, someone or a group of individuals thought the name wasn’t quite appropriate and covered up the original “Felipe” with a white sticker that was carefully picked to blend in with the background of the sign. The name of the part was changed to “King Camilo VI.” A homage to the late singer from Alcoy that was both silly and smart. The “y” in “King” was only half-buried, though, which shows that the work was done with more humour than time. The City Council took down the signs not long after.
Six months later
In mid-June, city council members and State Security Forces members were present to rename this part, which includes the El Altet roundabout and the access to the Calle León. There was a monument, a big flag, and even road closures “for security reasons.” All of this was done to honour a decision made in March as part of an agreement between the two political parties in power to change the names of some public sites in the city.
Pablo Ruz, the mayor, said that the project was a monument “to His Majesty the King and to the Spanish Constitution itself, with all that his figure and his ten years on the throne mean to Spaniards.” But the city council didn’t think that the name change would go undetected.
Author: Derek Appleton
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