A campaign is under way on Facebook and Twitter to stop the removal of the iconic illuminated Tio Pepe sign which has adorned a rooftop at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, No.1 since 1936. It has been removed to facilitate repair work on the Hotel Paris. While the owners of the building on which the sign stands are not particularly bothered about renewing the contract, the new tenants, who will be Apple, are unlikely to want it competing with their own sign, but are keeping quiet on the issue. If you wish to voice your own protest, go to:
activismoonlinechange.org
The sign was erected just after the cenenary of Gonzalez Byass, and has become a much loved landmark of Madrid. The ex mayor of Madrid said it was like Madrid's Eiffel Tower. It weighs 70 tons, so moving it is not undertaken lightly.
