Madrid's Hortaleza district assembly has approved a PSOE proposal to honor the 1975 Portugalete murals, a neighborhood action that saved homes from demolition at the end of the Franco era. The PP and Más Madrid backed the initiative, while Vox opposed it. The tribute features an exhibition, a commemorative plaque, and a mural recreation.
On October 17, 2025, Madrid's Hortaleza district assembly approved the PSOE proposal to commemorate the Portugalete murals. This 1975 action involved residents and renowned artists like Juan Genovés, Lucio Muñoz, and Arcadio Blasco, who painted building facades on Calle Tántalis to prevent the demolition of the 'Casas Bajas' neighborhood under the Plan parcial de Ciudad Lineal, which planned a highway to the airport and large building blocks.
The neighborhood's challenge was straightforward: 'If they want to tear down the houses, let them do it with works of art.' The effort halted the demolition and gained international attention in newspapers during the final months of the Franco dictatorship. Portugalete, with about 200 substandard dwellings scattered in fields, lacked running water, paving, and street lighting; its residents mostly came from Castile, Extremadura, and Andalusia.
The proposal passed with votes from the PP, which holds the absolute majority, PSOE, and Más Madrid; Vox was the sole opponent. Gustavo Galiani, the PP spokesperson, justified: 'Recovering that memory is not only fair but also necessary,' calling the murals 'one of the most singular chapters in the district's cultural and neighborhood history.' Jorge Donaire of the PSOE thanked the support and stated: 'We request fair recognition of a cultural and civic event that dignifies Hortaleza's history, because remembering those who defended their neighborhood with art is also a way to build a future from culture, identity, and pride of belonging'.
Donaire voiced surprise at the PP's backing and highlighted the action's 'transgressive' nature: 'In 1975 we were ending a very dark period and art was used as a tool to stop a speculative initiative that aimed to erase a neighborhood and failed.' José María Julián, the 1975 president of the Portugalete Neighborhood Association and now 97, welcomed the memory recovery: 'It is very interesting to highlight what was done at that time and emphasize solidarity, because the murals were the result of enormous collaboration between neighbors and artists, creating an open-air museum'.
The tribute comprises three elements: a commemorative exhibition at the Silo de Hortaleza with graphic, documentary, and audiovisual materials; a plaque on Calle Tántalis for the 50th anniversary; and a recreation of Arcadio Blasco's mural, a local pioneer who died in 2013.