Members of the Platform for the Defence of the Cross of Callosa de Segura, in the Plaza de España, say that they are not going to agree to any move until all possible alternatives, including two outstanding appeals, have been explored and concluded.

The group spokesman, Toni Illán, has urged Mayor Fran Maciá to wait for the two pending legal appeals to be resolved before making any decision.

The Platform says that although the judicial process filed by former Mayor Javier Pérez has been resolved in favour of the Town Council, there are still two judicial proceedings to be resolved.

There is one introduced by the Diocese claiming the ownership of the Plaza de España and another from the Platform itself requesting protection by safeguarding the fundamental right of religious freedom. “The judicial processes are still  going ahead so we should not be in such a hurry, ” said Illán, referring to the mayor’s intention of removing the controversial monument before the end of the year.

The platform say that they do not agree with the court judgement, which states that the Plaza de España is municipal property and the Cruz de los Caidos a political monument and not a religious symbol.

“They are judicial decisions, but that does not mean that they are fair,” said the spokesman who added that “history is full of legal decisions that are extremely unfair.”

He said that the defenders of the cross will continue to guard the monument from eight in the morning to eight at night, as they have been doing for the last 333 days.