FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 95 - ENGLISH

5 JUAN BENITO VALENCIANO President of the Victims of Terrorism Foundation Even today, more than 300 attacks remain unsolved. As long as families remain without answers, the wound will remain open. Memory, therefore, is not only remembrance; it is also a call for justice against terrorism cannot be reduced to a matter of security. It is, above all, a defen- se of values: freedom, coexistence, plura- lism, and respect for human dignity. And those values are fully consolidated only when they are passed from generation to generation. Educating through memory is, in this sense, an essential task. It is not about fueling resentment or perpetuating pain, but about educating free and aware ci- tizens. It is about explaining to young people what terrorism was, what con- sequences it had, and why it can never find political, ideological, or moral justi- fication. It is about equipping them with ethical tools to recognize and reject every form of violence. Classrooms, academic spaces, and forums for reflection play an irrepla- ceable role here. Initiatives such as uni- versity courses on terrorism and violent radicalization, organized in cooperation with academic institutions and centers of memory, are examples of how rigo- rous knowledge and civic commitment must go hand in hand. They analyze new threats, the evolution of jihadist terro- rism, radicalization processes, and the impact of technology on the spread of hatred. Above all, however, they place the victims at the center of the narrative. Even today, more than 300 attacks remain unsolved. As long as families remain wi- thout answers, the wound will remain open. Memory, therefore, is not only re- membrance; it is also a call for justice. No counterterrorism strategy will be complete if it forgets the victims. Their testimony is not only living memory; it is also an educational tool of enormous va- lue. Listening to those who suffered vio- lence makes it possible to humanize his- tory, prevent its distortion, and transmit a truth that data alone cannot express. The current context further reinforces the urgency of this task. Terrorism has shown a remarkable capacity for adapta- tion: it changes forms, settings, and me- thods, but its criminal essence remains intact. Democratic societies cannot afford indifference or forgetting in the face of these threats. The defense of freedom requires intelligence, international coo- peration, and institutional coordination, but it also requires memory, moral clarity, and civic commitment. There is also a growing risk: the passage of time can lead to the trivialization of te- rrorism, especially among those who did not experience it directly. Without active educational work, that generational dis- tance can erode society's ethical defenses. And a society that does not know its past runs the risk of repeating it. For this reason, memory initiatives — commemorative exhibitions, educational programs, and first-person testimonies — are not isolated symbolic acts; they are fundamental elements of public po- licy aimed at strengthening democracy. Honoring victims does not only dignify them; it strengthens society as a whole. Memory, understood in this way, is not an exercise in nostalgia or an attachment to pain. It is a commitment to truth, jus- tice, and education. It is a form of resis- tance against forgetting and against any attempt to reinterpret violence. Above all, it is a guarantee of the future. Ultimately, educating through memory means educating for freedom. Only through that collective awareness can we ensure that terror will never again find a place in our history.