FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 93 - ENGLISH

43 JIMÉNEZ BECERRIL FOUNDATION T he Foundation is holding the 12th edition of the Youth and Political Participation Meeting, which for the third year in a row, the event took place at the Memorial Centre for Victims of Terrorism in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Dozens of young people attended the event, which this year was held from 20 to 22 Octo- ber, to reflect on the history of terrorism in Spain and its consequences, both for society in general and for the victims in particular. OPENING DAY AND VISIT TO THE MEMORIAL CENTRE FOR THE VICTIMS OF TERRORISM The first day of the 12th Meeting of Young People and Political Participation featured an opening ceremony attended by Raúl López Romo, Head of Education and Exhibitions at the Memorial Centre for Victims of Terrorism; Esperanza Bueno, Area Coordinator of the Sub-Directorate for Support to Victims of Terrorism at the Ministry of the Interior; Daphne Rodrigo, Director General of Seville City Council; and Joaquín Castillo, vice-president of our Foundation. All of them emphasised the importance of events such as this, which create a pluralistic space for dia- logue between all those attending, wheth- er speakers or members of the public. Once the meeting was opened, the young people had the opportunity to visit the museum housed in the Memorial Cen- THE 12TH MEETING OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE JIMÉNEZ-BECERRIL FOUNDATION CREATES A SPACE FOR DIALOGUE ON THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM IN SPAIN tre. To this end, they were able to hear the testimonies of José María Antón and Sebastián Nogales, presidents of the Ex- tremaduran Association of Victims of Terrorism and the Association of Victims of Terrorism of Castile and León, respec- tively. Both were victims while on duty and were seriously injured, so their tes- timonies and explanations helped partic- ipants learn first-hand about the effects of ETA violence and the fieldwork carried out by the police forces to eradicate these actions. PROFESSIONALS, ACADEMICS AND VICTIMS PARTICIPATE IN THE CONFERENCE AND ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS The main day of this traditional event or- ganised by the Alberto Jiménez-Becerril Foundation focused on reflection based on testimony and a variety of perspec- tives on the problem of terrorism. First, prosecutor Javier Zaragoza explained how the justice system has intervened over the years in the fight against terrorism in Spain, as well as the current context with the rise of jihadism. After this initial conference, it was time for the first round table, where police officers, civil guards and members of CITCO explained the role of the state security forces in curbing ASSOCIATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS