FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 94 - ENGLISH

15 NEWS T he Paco de Lucía Auditorium at the Alcobendas Arts Centre once again became, for the second consecutive year, a space for remembrance and recog- nition of the victims of terrorism. The mu- nicipality, a member of the Friends of the Victims of Terrorism Foundation network, hosted a moving memorial service on 13 March, organised jointly by Alcobendas Town Council and the Victims of Terror- ism Foundation (FVT). The event was chaired by the mayor, Rocío García Alcántara; the Deputy Minister for Justice and Victims of the Community of Madrid, Carmen Martín García Matos; and the president of the FVT, Juan Benito Valenciano. Before a packed auditorium of over 280 pupils from the Brains and San Patricio schools, and from the APAMA association, those present were taken on a journey through the reality of terrorism in Spain over more than six decades. The event sought to pay tribute to all the direct and indirect victims of this violence that has so profoundly marked the country’s recent history. Among the names remembered was that of little Begoña Urroz, murdered in June 1960 at Amara station by the Iberian Rev- olutionary Liberation Directorate, consid- ered the first victim of terrorism in Spain. Since then, more than 1,450 people have lost their lives and more than 5,000 have been injured, displaced or threatened. ETA was responsible for 861 murders between 1968 and 2010, whilst jihadist terrorism has claimed 300 lives, most of them in the attacks of 11 March 2004. The remaining crimes were committed by GRAPO and other independent terrorist groups. The session included the screening of three educational videos — ‘What is terrorism?’, ‘Terrorism in Spain’ and ‘The 11M attacks’ — designed to bring this reality closer to young people through rigorous and in- formative analysis. However, the most moving moment came with the testimo- nies of Almudena Blanco, the orphan of Lieutenant Colonel Pedro Antonio Blanco, who was murdered by ETA in Madrid in January 2000, and Esther Sáez, who was injured in the 11M attacks. Both shared their experiences with extraordinary gen- erosity, recalling the profound impact that violence had on their lives. In his address, the president of the FVT, Juan Benito Valenciano, thanked the City Council for organising the event and wel- comed the young people’s attendance. He emphasised the crucial role of education in preventing history from repeating itself. “As well as serving to acquire knowledge, education is about learning to view the world with a critical eye, sensitivity and humanity; to reject violence, exclusion and hatred,” he stated. He also emphasised the importance of students developing strong values and their own judgement at a time when social media can spread messages of intolerance or trivialise violence. The mayor, Rocío García Alcántara, brought the event to a close by highlighting Alcobendas’ commitment to the memory of the victims and to democratic values: “On behalf of the Town Council, we wish to pay tribute to all the victims and their fam- ilies, who form part of our country’s dem- ocratic memory. Their memory is a lasting commitment to freedom, coexistence and dignity”. She also recalled that Alcobendas is “a city committed to peace, freedom and the defence of democratic values”.