The Calvià Town Council and artist José Carlos Terroba have formalised the donation of a sculpture in memory of the two civil guards killed by ETA in Palmanova in 2009, which will be installed at the site of the attack.
On July 30, 2026, it will be 17 years since the ETA attack that claimed the lives of civil guards Diego Salvá Lezaun and Carlos Sáenz de Tejada García in Palmanova. To keep their memory alive, the Calvià Town Council will install a commemorative sculpture at the same location where the attack occurred, on the street that is already named after one of the victims.
The work, designed and donated by local artist José Carlos Terroba Bello, consists of a Guardia Civil tricorn hat made of iron, set on a base of white marmolina. The piece stands 110 centimetres tall and weighs approximately 207 kilos. It features an interior and indirect lighting system in green tones that evoke the uniform of the Benemérita, and will be accompanied by a plaque with a text in memory of the victims.
The installation was unanimously approved by all municipal groups represented in the council (PP, Vox, and PSIB-PSOE) during the ordinary plenary session in November 2025. The mayor of Calvià, Juan Antonio Amengual, highlighted that "Calvià does not forget an attack that killed two very young civil guards; it will not be forgotten as long as that crime remains unresolved."
Terroba, known for works such as the heart of Palmanova, acknowledged the "great responsibility" that this work has entailed. "It is the work that has moved me the most while creating it, but it is true that, in addition to the family, with the support of all that the Calvià council represents, I have felt very good. It is a sculpture that I say I wish had never had to be made," the artist stated.
The Palmanova attack, which occurred on July 30, 2009, was one of the last fatal attacks by ETA before the announcement of the definitive cessation of violence in 2011. The two officers, aged 27 and 23, died when a car bomb planted by the terrorist group exploded. The crime remains unresolved judicially, as the alleged perpetrators were acquitted in 2018 due to lack of evidence.
The Calvià Town Council has organised a memorial event for the deceased at the site of the attack on July 30, 2026, at 9 am. It will be an open event with the presence of local, island, and regional authorities, police and military representatives, as well as civil society representatives, and will include a floral offering. The sculpture will be inaugurated at this same event, as confirmed by the council.
For the residents of Calvià and all of Mallorca, this monument becomes a permanent point of remembrance for two young men who lost their lives in the line of duty. The sculpture, visible on Diego Salvá Lezaun Street, aims to keep the memory of the victims alive and to advocate for the need for justice.
You may also like
