FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 95 - ENGLISH

25 NEWS Calvo Sastre; the Undersecretary of the Interior, Susana Crisóstomo; the Direc- tors-General of the Guardia Civil and of Support to Victims of Terrorism, Mer- cedes González and Montserrat Torija; and the director of the Ertzaintza, Vic- toria Landa Munoz, together with other representatives of the State Security For- ces and Corps, regional delegates, mem- bers of the Boards of the Congress and Senate, parliamentary spokespersons, and representatives of associations and foundations. Among the latter were the presidents of the Association of State Security Forces and Corps Victims of Terrorism, the 11M Affected Association, the Extremadura Association of Victims of Terrorism, the Association of Victims of Terrorism of Castilla y León, and the Rioja Association of Victims of Terrorism, as well as repre- sentatives of the Andalusian Association and the Murcian Association of Victims of Terrorism, and of the Professor Ma- nuel Broseta and Fernando Buesa Blanco foundations. Also present were Carlos Cabanas, a trustee of the Victims of Terrorism Foundation, and its managing director, María Zarauz. Among those who were unable to at- tend were the Association of Victims of Terrorism, Association Dignity and Justice, Support Platform Association for Victims, Collective of Victims of Terrorism, and the Miguel Ángel Blan- co Foundation. EXPLAINING WITH "RIGOR, RESPECT, AND HONESTY" After Valenciano's address, the Speaker of the Congress, Francina Armengol, took the floor to emphasize the need to remem- ber, understand, and provide redress to victims as an essential condition for pro- gress. She vindicated the role of institu- tions in sustaining memory and dignity. "Terrorism did not only take lives," she said. "It also broke trust and sought to undermine the principles of free- dom and coexistence." In line with the Foundation's message, she called for explaining what happened with "rigor, respect, and honesty," delving into its causes and consequences in order to avoid any form of trivialization of fa- naticism and violence. After the speeches, attendees observed a minute of silence in memory of all victims. The tribute concluded with a perfor- mance of Astor Piazzolla's Oblivion, again by the quartet from the Royal Hi- gher Conservatory of Music of Madrid, bringing a solemn close to a day marked by remembrance, memory, and demo- cratic commitment. READ THE FULL SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE FVT ON OUR WEBSITE