Demonstration today in defense of the Ferro Cross: The pilgrim community once again raises its voice in defense of the Ferro Cross and the Heritage of the Camino de Santiago. Under the motto "La Cruz de Ferro is not touched", civil platforms and citizens will mobilize today to demand that the administration protect this emblematic Jacobean enclave from new alterations. The delegation will gather between 9:30 a.m. in Rabanal del Camino and will march at 10:00 a.m. to the Cruz de Fierro where they are expected to arrive with whistles and banners around 12:30 p.m. The participants invite and ask citizens to join this protest against the violation of Heritage, especially the people of El Bierzo and the judicial district of Astorga.
In November 2023, fifty people, supported by some organizations such as the Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago de Astorga y Comarca and the FICS, already demonstrated against the reconditioning works carried out on the Cruz de Ferro. Now, the situation is repeated again with the recent placement of circles of stones around the monument, an arbitrary modification that "attacks its integrity and historical significance," in the opinion of the voices that will be raised this Sunday.
“This situation shows, once again, the vulnerability of the Heritage due to the lack of control by the Administrations, which have the obligation to protect it.” A little over a year ago, the works promoted by the Santa Colomba de Somoza City Council, carried out outside the original project, had to be corrected after citizen mobilization.
The alteration of the monument, apparently carried out by unknown persons, has modified the traditional arrangement of the stones deposited by pilgrims over the centuries, transforming them into artificial structures that distort their symbolism and authenticity. “Meanwhile, the Administrations remain impassive in the face of these events,” denounce the organizers of the demonstration.
FOUNTAIN: LEON'S DIARY
