Carlos Vallve

The statue of Antonio Lopez Carlos Vallve

On 27 January 2017, the Barcelona City Council decided to remove the statue of the Marquis of Comillas from the site where it had stood for 138 years. The reason: Antonio López had been, according to a distinguished professor of contemporary history, a "notorious slave trader". This accusation was based fundamentally on the book that Pancho Bru, brother-in-law of the Marquis, published in 1885 after failing in his attempt to extort money from the latter's son. The book is a true pamphlet that can only be accepted if one is unaware of, among many other things, Jacint Verdaguer's opinion of its author: "Get right with God and God will bless your works, which today do not deserve God's blessing". The climate of opinion that has developed as a result of the aforementioned accusation explains the regrettable decision of the Barcelona City Council, a decision that it would be very much to be hoped would be reconsidered.