Catalan Memories at the Crossroads: the Removal of the Francoist Memorial in Tortosa and the Transformation of the Via Laietana Police Station into a Memorial Site

Abstract

Memories of the past significantly influence national identities, which in turn shape narratives explaining the past. In contexts with strong national identities, like Catalonia, these memories are constructed within a highly polarized media sphere. This study examines how two memory-related events—the removal of the Francoist monument in Tortosa and the transformation of the Via Laietana police station into a memorial site—generate polarized historical narratives in the press and on social media. Through content analysis of 249 news pieces and social media analysis of related conversations on X (formerly Twitter), the study finds that media coverage is dominated by political and judicial actors, with social actors like associations being less represented. Both events are primarily framed in terms of economic and electoral interests rather than historical significance. On social media, political actors drive the conversations, creating echo chambers focused on political and electoral battles rather than discussions about history or memory.