The councilor of the Socialist Municipal Group Nuria Llopis has denounced that the mayor of València, María José Catalá, who governs with Vox “has eliminated the rainbow benches that the previous corporation installed in different points to combat LGTBI phobia through public furniture, among other measures that turned Valencia into a benchmark for an open and diverse city.”
Llopis regretted that Catalá had “taken advantage of the remodeling of the Puente de las Flores that was approved in the previous mandate after the fire that damaged the structure.” Thus, he recalled that the Urban Planning area carried out an intervention that planned to place a new pavement on the sidewalks that imitates wood to facilitate maintenance.
“Catalá has dedicated this bridge to Rita Barberá while the investigation of the Azud case is underway, in which the UCO has uncovered alleged intermediations between the brother-in-law of the former mayor to benefit contracting companies with the current chief of staff of María José Catalá and other PP positions,” he denounced.
Nuria Llopis has questioned that Catalá “has been in the same hurry to dedicate the bridge to Barberá and turn it into a symbol of corruption as to erase the rainbow banks and make the fight against LGTBI phobia invisible.” “It makes the LGTBI movement invisible and corruption visible,” she added.
Furthermore, he has warned that this “erasing” has occurred after a vandalized rainbow bench with a homophobic message appeared in the Patraix neighborhood, as reported by neighbors. Along these lines, he recalled that “we are experiencing a boom in this type of messages and cases of discrimination, either with insults and attacks.”
The socialist councilor has called on the municipal government to “repaint the rainbow benches on the Puente de las Flores” and has warned that “this erasure could extend to the furniture installed in other parts of the city.” “We want María José Catalá to clarify if, in the same way that she has erased the banners that denounce sexist violence from public events and the municipal balcony, she is also going to erase the rainbow benches that combat LGTBI phobia,” he concluded.
