FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 94 - ENGLISH

26 IN MEMORIAM CONCERT 2026 “LOOKING TO THE FUTURE” The president of the Victims of Terror- ism Foundation, Juan Benito Valen- ciano, began his speech by expressing “his deepest gratitude” to Her Majesties for their “constant, steadfast and un- conditional” support. Their presence, he affirmed, constitutes “a fundamental pillar for the victims and their families”. He recalled that keeping the memo- ry of the victims alive “is not a gesture of the past, but a permanent require- ment of the present and the future”. Placing them at the centre of public life, defending their rights, preserving their memory and contributing to a society committed to freedom, justice and human dignity are — he said — inalienable responsibilities. In this commitment, “the Foundation has always enjoyed the close and loyal support of the Royal Household”. Benito Valenciano also paid tribute to the more than 1,450 people killed and the more than 5,000 injured by terrorism in Spain: “Behind these fig- ures lie families scarred for life and a society that cannot and must not look the other way”. The president made a special mention of Yacob Pinto Bittan, a young Spaniard aged 25, originally from Melilla and living in Israel, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem: “He had just got married and was one of six people killed in a shooting at a bus stop. We send our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.” He also warned that terrorism “takes on new forms, new rhetoric and new chan- nels, but its essence remains the same: EDUCATION, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY LIFE