The commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the murder of Federico García Lorca has provoked a political controversy in Madrid. The official account on X of the Municipal Public Libraries, a network dependent on the Madrid City Council, published a message this Tuesday in which it avoided mentioning the circumstances in which the Granada poet died.
"On this day, August 18, 1936, Federico García Lorca passed away. His poetry and theater continue to remind us of the power of the word. 90 years after his death, check out the reading guide published on our website," the original publication stated.
The use of the verb "to pass away" to refer to Lorca's execution generated immediate criticism from the PSOE and Más Madrid. Both parties demanded that the municipal account correct the message and expressly mention that the writer was murdered.
The municipal libraries rectify
The account of the Municipal Public Libraries later deleted the first publication and issued a new message in which it already used the word "murder":
"Today marks 90 years since the murder of Federico García Lorca. His voice was silenced, but his verses remain. In our public libraries, we continue to bring his work closer to the public so that his word remains alive. Lorca, always."
The rectification maintained the link to a reading guide dedicated to the author of Bodas de sangre, La casa de Bernarda Alba, and Romancero gitano.
The Culture Area attributes the message to a "slip"
The Culture Area of the Madrid City Council intervened after the controversy to deny that there was any political intention behind the first publication. "Of course, there was no kind of intentionality, it was a slip. In fact, it has been deleted and another correct tweet has been posted," explained a municipal spokesperson, as reported by El País.
The Culture Area also pointed out that other accounts linked to the City Council, such as the area’s own account and that of Madrid Destino, used the word "murder" from the beginning. Additionally, it recalled that the City Council has prepared a cultural program to commemorate the Generation of '27 in which García Lorca figures as one of the authors with the greatest presence on municipal stages.
PSOE and Más Madrid denounce a "whitewashing" of history
The spokesperson of the PSOE in the Madrid City Council, Reyes Maroto, publicly demanded that the account correct the first message: "The poet Federico García Lorca did not pass away, but was murdered by Francoist forces 90 years ago today. Do not stray from the truth, respect historical memory, and correct this as soon as possible."
The socialist councilor Jorge Donarie considered that the use of the term "passed away" could not be reduced to a mere matter of style: "Lorca was murdered by the coup plotters for being leftist and homosexual. We believe that this is not a minor error nor a matter of style. This is whitewashing and distorting a part of our history."
From Más Madrid, its municipal spokesperson, Rita Maestre, also demanded an immediate rectification: "Lorca was murdered. The Madrid City Council must respect his memory and that of all the victims."
Although Maestre directed her political reproach at the City Council, the questioned message had been published specifically by the account of the Municipal Public Libraries.
The councilor of Más Madrid Cuca Sánchez argued that talking about Lorca's death without naming the crime means hiding both the circumstances of his murder and the repression he was a victim of. "He did not collapse nor have an accident. They took him out in the early morning, took him to the mountain, and shot him," she stated.
The account of the Municipal Libraries, a repeat offender
This is not the first time that the account of the Municipal Public Libraries has used the term "passing" to refer to García Lorca.
On July 20, it promoted a bibliographic selection from the José Saramago Municipal Public Library with a message commemorating the "passing of Lorca 90 years ago." In 2024, the same account had used the more generic expression "death."
The new publication released this Tuesday corrects that formulation and expressly acknowledges that Lorca was murdered.
90 years since the murder of Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca was arrested on August 16, 1936, at the house of the Rosales family in Granada. Shortly after, he was transferred to the vicinity of Víznar and Alfacar, where he was shot by the rebels during the first weeks of the Civil War. The poet was 38 years old. His remains continue to be unlocated and unidentified 90 years after his murder.
The controversy over the publication of municipal libraries has coincided with the messages disseminated by leaders such as Pedro Sánchez, Juanma Moreno, and María Jesús Montero to remember Lorca and reclaim his literary legacy.