Madrid: Spain geared up for its National Day Tuesday with marching soldiers, flag-raising ceremonies and dance performances from South America, as a debate brewed about whether to celebrate the holiday in light of the history of Spanish colonialism.
On Monday, a crowd cheered in central Madrid as the country's flag was raised in a military ceremony.
"I don't think that we have to ask for forgiveness, history is what it is," said local resident Teresa Garcia.
The Italian Christopher Columbus arrived on the Caribbean island of Guanahani on Oct. 12, 1492, in a voyage financed by Spanish kings.
His arrival began centuries of exploration and colonization by European nations, bringing violence, disease and other sufferings to native people already living in the Western Hemisphere.
But Roberto Turin, a local resident who posed with a Peruvian flag at a street festival in the Spanish capital Saturday, said it was time to "forget about hatred and grudges," and "fight for union, not division."
This was echoed by María Saavedra Inaraja, a historian at CEU San Pablo University, who characterized the national holiday as "a great party for all Spanish speakers, all people of Hispanic culture - that we are spread all over the world."
Chilean activist Paula Guerra — who'll be joining a protest Tuesday demanding decolonization in Central and South America — strongly disagreed.
"What are we going to celebrate?" she asked. "What should be done at this point is an acknowledgement of the damage caused by the horrors committed."
AP
