FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 95 - ENGLISH

On September 3 and 4, the University of the Basque Coun- try / Euskal Herriko Unibert- sitatea will host the course "Violence against the Univer- sity," an academic and civic initiative organized jointly by the Memorial Center for Vic- tims of Terrorism and the Vic- tims of Terrorism Foundation. The course will be directed by Virginia López de Maturana Diéguez (UPV/EHU), a histo- rian specializing in memory, symbolic power, and political violence, and by Ana Escau- riaza Escudero (University of Navarra), a leading researcher in the study of the relationship between the university and ETA terrorism. This academic activity was created to analyze a reality that remained silent for too long: political violence direc- ted against the university institution, its community, and the values of inte- llectual freedom, pluralism, and cri- tical thought that define it. Through a comparative and multidisciplinary approach, the program addresses this phenomenon from the European con- text of the late 1960s to the present, with special attention to the Basque case. The first day opens with an international perspective. Professor Matteo Re (Rey Juan Carlos University) will analyze violence against the university in Italy during the years of lead, contextualizing the impact of terrorism and political ra- dicalization in academic spaces. Next, Gaizka Fernández Soldevilla (Memorial Center for Victims of Terrorism) will focus on far-right violence against the Spanish university during the Transi- tion, providing historical keys to un- derstanding a period marked by political tension and democratic fragility. The core of the course lies in the Basque case, one of the contexts most severely affected by violence since the end of Fran- coism. In this framework, Ana Escauriaza Escudero will address the harassment and pressure suffered by the University of the Basque Country/EHU, focusing on ETA terrorism, the climate of intimidation, im- posed silence, and different forms of aca- demic and institutional resistance. The day will be completed with a cultural reflection session by Santiago de Pablo Contreras (UPV/EHU), who, through cinema, will propose images for thinking about the re- lationship between university and violence, emphasizing the value of audiovisual lan- guage in the construction of memory. The afternoon will be devoted to a key roundtable: "Reacting to Violence: From the Government of the UPV/EHU." Par- ticipants will include Virginia López de Maturana, current rector Joxerramon Bengoetxea, and former rectors Manuel Montero and Eva Ferreira, who will sha- re institutional and personal perspecti- ves on how to respond, from the university, to contexts of threat and coercion while defending university autonomy and demo- cratic values. The second day will delve into lived experience, combining his- torical analysis and testimony. Professor José María Portillo Valdés will open the day with an autobiographical reflection inMy Personal Years of Lead, a contri- bution that connects the acade- mic with the lived. He will be followed by Mercedes Ramos De Armas, whose presentation will focus on the murder of Francisco Tomás y Valiente and its impact on the Autonomous University of Madrid, one of the most symbolic attacks against the university as a space of reason and freedom. The testimony will continue with Galo Bilbao Alberdi (University of Deusto), who will evoke the experience of teaching in times of violence, bringing the public closer to the everyday reality of those who kept teaching alive in contexts of fear. The course will close with the interven- tion of Alfonso Sánchez Tabernero, who will address violence from the University of Navarra, a different case but one equa- lly revealing of the many forms taken by terrorist pressure. This Summer Course seeks not only to provide academic knowledge but also to reconstruct shared memory, recognize those who suffered violence, and reinfor- ce the university's commitment to free- dom, dignity, and democratic coexistence. Through listening, rigorous analysis, and empathy with victims, "Violence against the University" is presented as an essential meeting for understanding the recent past and strengthening a university resilient in the face of any form of terror. CULTURE. UPV/EHU SUMMER COURSE VIOLENCE AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY: MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, AND DEMOCRATIC COMMITMENT 79 CULTURE