The Vox activist who vandalized the feminist mural in Ciudad Lineal, sentenced to five months in prison and to pay 10,065 euros

The Vox activist accused of destroying the feminist mural of Ciudad Lineal in 2021, Luis Felipe Ulecia (29 years old), has been sentenced this Wednesday to five months in prison and compensation of 10,065 euros to the Madrid City Council for section 16 of the Provincial Court of Madrid.

The court has ruled that Uncía was complicit in a crime against dignity and against artistic heritage after it was declared proven that in the early hours of March 8, 2021, coinciding with International Women's Day, she collaborated in crossing out the faces of the women represented in the mural of the La Concepción sports center.

In addition, Uncía must pay another fine of 1,350 euros.

The mural was created to honor some female references such as Rosa Parks or Frida Kahlo and give visibility to the fight against gender violence, but that day dawned full of stains of black paint that covered the faces of the protagonists.

Next to the graffiti, a manifesto appeared attached 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.

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The trial of Luis Felipe Ulecia (29) began on February 27 with the Prosecutor's Office maintaining his request for three years in prison for two crimes against dignity and artistic heritage.

When questioned at that time about his position regarding the feminist movement, the accused, who continued to deny his connection with the act of vandalism, admitted that he “shares” the position of Santiago Abascal's party regarding “certain ideologies that have nothing to do with with the woman".

The convicted man was vice-secretary of Youth of Vox and ranked 12th in the far-right candidacy for the Madrid City Council in the previous municipal elections.

The paint cans abandoned next to the destroyed mural were key in the police investigation and, ultimately, also for the Provincial Court's verdict.

In addition to the manifesto, several cans of paint, rollers and different materials were left at the scene.

The defendant, owner of a maintenance company, maintained in court that he bought a large quantity of paint and rollers the day before what happened, something common in his profession, and that it was all a “coincidence.”

However, one of the main evidence for the prosecution was that the paint used to destroy the mural was acquired with one of the defendant's bank cards.

The police officers in charge of carrying out the investigation explained – as witnesses – that when investigating the paint cans and materials abandoned at the scene, they concluded that it was a white brand that can only be purchased at Leroy Merlin.

After speaking with the company's security coordinator, the company compared the products in its transaction history and, through the barcodes, a receipt was found for an exact purchase, made with a bank card that pointed to the accused.

Although the accused maintained that the unattended products were not his, Leroy Merlin'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,

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political context

Prior to the events, the Ciudad Lineal mural was surrounded by controversy.

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 same day the events occurred, the City Council promised to restore the work, but the women's faces continued to be covered by black paint for months.

The mural decorates an exterior wall of the sports center in this neighborhood of working-class apartments in the east of Madrid and was approved in May 2018 in the plenary session of Ciudad Lineal, before Vox obtained representation in the City Council.

Thanks to pressure from the residents of the district and social mobilization, the original mural was finally restored on August 26, 2021 by the same group that painted it (Unlogic Crew) and was given a protective varnish so it could be easily repaired in in the event that it was vandalized again.

In addition to the five months in prison and the 10,605 euros in compensation to the Madrid City Council (the cost of the mural estimated by the experts), the convicted person has been disqualified from any profession related to teaching and leisure and free time activities for five years.

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