FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 94 - ENGLISH

40 ebrations that will never be the same again. They are in the daily journeys that have ceased to be normal forever. And our more than two thousand injured are still suffering. Because the wounds of terrorismdo not end when the news sto- ries fade. They continue in the hospitals. In the therapy sessions. In the difficulties at work. In the mental health. In family relationships. They continue in the daily lives of thousands of people who still live with the consequences of that 11 March. The attack did not last a single morning. Its effects will last for generations. And precisely because we knowwhat it means to go through a collective trag- edy, we would like to offer a few words of solidarity and sympathy today to the victims of the recent train crash in Adamuz. Seeing the wrecked carriag- es. Seeing the families waiting for news. Feeling that unbearable uncertainty between hope and fear. All of this has stirred up very painful memories within us. That is why we want to say something simple, but from the heart: You are not alone. Because grief can be shared. And since we are speaking of the news that moves us, we cannot help but look with concern at what is happening in the world. Not just Ukraine or Gaza. Now Iran too. As victims of terrorism, we know all too well that wars rarely stay where they begin. Their conse- quences travel, cross borders and end up affecting people who never had the power to decide them. Twenty-three years ago, the world was also living through times of war. And we know all too well what happened next. When wars begin, the powerful give the orders. The rich finance the conflict. And the poor send their children to fight. When they end, the powerful celebrate their victories. The rich collect the interest. And we, the families, bury our children. That is why today we want to make it clear: we do not want history to re- peat itself. We, the victims of terrorism, know that every escalation of violence can end up having devastating human consequences. That is why, drawing on our memories and our pain, we will always continue to defend the same things: life, peace and the responsi- bility not to push the world towards tragedies that no one can later repair. Today we wish to express our heart- felt gratitude to the public services. To healthcare workers, police officers, fire- fighters, psychologists, social workers, emergency personnel, judges, teachers and so many other professionals who supported—and continue to support— the victims when everything fell apart. They represent something essential: the 11M ASSOCIATION FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY TERRORISM presence of the state when citizens need it most. Public services are not a dispen- sable expense. They are a social safety net that saves lives, restores dignity and prevents pain from turning into neglect. Weakening or gutting them in the name of policies that only look to the short term is not efficiency. It is social fragility. And that fragility always ends up costing more. In human suffering and inequality. Today we also wish to thank those of good will. Those who, during difficult years, refused to accept the lies and self-serving manipulation surrounding 11 March. Those who stood up for the facts in the face of the clamour. For there were years when the victims’ pain was used as a battleground. The truth needs calm, steadfast and hon- est defenders. Thank you to those of you who have made our cause your own. Because what should never have happened did not end with the explosions. Then came something equally painful: the opportunistic exploitation of our suffering. Political exploitation. Economic exploitation. Me- dia exploitation. When lies take root in the wake of a tragedy, the victims suffer twice: first from the event itself, the at- tack, and then from the distortion of their memory. Today, one in three Spaniards still believes that something strange, perhaps linked to ETA, happened on 11 March 2004. This is a fact, not an opinion. It is proof of how much damage sustained disinformation can cause over time. And on this matter, there are no half-measures. There can be no neutrality between established truth and self-serving falsehood. We are often asked whether justice has been done. From a legal standpoint, the rule of law was upheld. And con- victions were handed down, although fewer than we would have wished. All the justice that was possible at the time was done. And it is worth remember- ing this: we, the victims, do not seek re- venge. But from a human perspective, there is no justice when the people we lost do not return. That is why remem- brance becomes the ultimate form of justice. Remembering what really hap- pened. Naming the truth. ASSOCIATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS