The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has put his foot in it again. For years he lived in Marín, in Galicia, on a street named after Salvador Moreno, a naval officer who took part in the 1936 coup that sparked the Civil War and later minister during the Franco regime. Today, he said he didn't know why the street's name has been changed.
That's not all, Rajoy said that he continues using the street's Francoist name, changed ten years ago to honour Galician writer Rosalía de Castro in compliance with the Law of Historical Memory, which provided for the removal of Francoist symbols from public buildings and spaces.
"I lived for many years by the Escuela Naval [the main academy for Spanish naval officers] in Marín, on calle Salvador Moreno. Now I don't know why they've removed the street from admiral Salvador Moreno, but I keep calling it that", he said during a talk this morning with members of the Côte d'Ivoire military, having travelled to the country to take part in the 5th African Union - EU Summit.