FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 94 - ENGLISH

12 NEWS 11M EVENTS O n 9 March, the Giner de los Ríos Foundation Auditorium hosted the official event organised by the Ministry of the Interior to mark Eu- ropean Day for the Victims of Terrorism, an occasion which this year was dedicated to the educational project ‘Memory and Prevention of Terrorism’. Eight years af- ter its launch, this joint initiative by the Ministries of Education and the Interior, together with the Victims of Terrorism Memorial Centre and Victims of Terror- ism foundations, has enabled 40,000 pu- pils from across Spain to hear first-hand the testimonies of those who suffered violence. The phrase with which a group of pupils and teachers brought the day to a close sums up the spirit of the event well: “I want remembrance to live on in the classrooms.” That is, in essence, the aim of the educa- tional programme: that remembrance should not be confined to anniversaries, but should have a permanent place in schools as a tool for prevention, coexistence and democratic development. YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE UNEXPECTED LISTENER Several participating victims shared an ob- servation which, as explained, is repeated on every visit to a school: the pupils’ initial surprise. “At first they look at their mobiles, they’re restless, it seems as though they’re not paying attention,” said one of the speak- ers. “But after a few minutes they’re per- plexed, they empathise, they ask questions and, in the end, they even hug us.” The questions the students ask are nei- ther technical nor historical: they revolve around emotions. They ask how one over- comes fear, how one copes with grief, and whether forgiveness is possible after such a great loss. Sometimes, they even doubt whether forgiveness is possible at all. THE MEMORY THAT LINGERS 40,000 STUDENTS LISTEN TO THE VICTIMS OF TERRORISM