The trial of Luis Felipe Ulecia (29), a Vox activist who allegedly destroyed the feminist mural in Ciudad Lineal on March 8, 2021—coinciding with International Women's Day—started this Tuesday at the Provincial Court of Madrid.
Although the alleged perpetrator has denied the facts, the Prosecutor's Office has maintained its request for three years in prison for two crimes against dignity and against artistic heritage.
The sentence will be known in the coming days.
The mural, created to honor some female references such as Rosa Parks or Frida Kahlo and give visibility to the fight against gender violence, woke up that day stained with black paint that covered the faces of most of the protagonists.
In addition to the graffiti, the place woke up with a manifesto posted in which Revolutio—a youth organization that shares far-right messages on social networks—claimed responsibility for the action.
In the note, they called feminism “one of the bêtes noires of our time.”
However, the group issued a statement the next day claiming that, while they took responsibility for the manifesto, they had nothing to do with the black paint.
When questioned about his position regarding the feminist movement, the accused has admitted that he “shares” the position of Santiago Abascal's party regarding “certain ideologies that have nothing to do with women.”
It should be remembered that the alleged author was vice-secretary of Youth of Vox and ranked 12th in the far-right candidacy for Madrid City Council in the previous municipal elections.
In addition to the manifesto, several cans of paint, rollers and different materials that would ultimately be essential for the police investigation were left at the scene.
The accused, owner of a maintenance company, claims that he bought a large quantity of paint and rollers the day before what happened, as was usual every Monday given his professional activity and that everything was a “coincidence” in which he had no nothing to see.
One of the main evidence for the prosecution would be that the paint used would have been acquired with one of the defendant's bank cards.
The police officers in charge of carrying out the investigation have explained – as witnesses – that, after Revolutio's statement in which they disassociated themselves from the events, they focused on the only remaining clue: the paint cans and materials abandoned at the scene. .
After checking its origin, they concluded that it was a white label that can only be purchased at Leroy Merlín.
After speaking with the company's security coordinator, they say, the company compared the products in its transaction history and, through the barcodes, a receipt was found for a practically exact purchase, made with a bank card that indicated The accused.
Said coordinator explained that it was a very atypical purchase - given the quantities - and that, furthermore, the product references were unequivocal.
Although the accused has maintained that the unattended products were not his, Leroy Merlín's security coordinator explained to the Police that the reference numbers on the tickets were individual, since the paint had been mixed at the customer's request.
The latter would make it impossible for it to be a coincidence, since the reference number of the paint cans would not be generic, but exclusive to this purchase and this customer.
At the doors of this judicial headquarters, members of the Ciudad Lineal feminist collective have demanded Justice as the events represent an “attack” on women.
“I felt sad and labeled as a woman,” one of them stressed upon leaving the trial.
The political context prior to the events had the Ciudad Lineal mural surrounded by controversies.
In January 2021, Vox councilor Miguel Moisés Rodríguez presented a proposal to replace the feminist mural with another representing Paralympic athletes.
The proposal was approved with the support of PP and Ciudadanos, and the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, spoke in favor of removing the mural.
Neighbors quickly mobilized to try to save the mural and Más Madrid pushed an emergency motion.
The criticism pushed Ciudadanos to change its position, and, together with the support of the PSOE, they managed to allow the feminist mural to be maintained.
The act of vandalization had international repercussions: even the British newspaper
The Guardian
echoed it with a report by its correspondent in Spain.
The trial has been heard for sentencing, and the final sentence will be announced in the coming days.