FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

12 NEWS On 16 September, Mutxamel became the focal point of remembrance and recognition for victims of terrorism in the Valencian Community. The town in Alicante province hosted the first official observance of Victims of Terrorism Day, a symbolically charged date coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the most serious attack carried out by the terrorist organisation ETA in the region. The choice of Mutxamel was no coin- cidence. An attack there in 1991 killed VICTIMS’ DAY IN THE VALENCIAN COMMUNITY three people: two local police officers and a municipal tow-truck driver. A fur- ther 27 people were injured. Three and a half decades later, that episode remains one of the darkest chapters in the Valen- cian Community’s recent history and a lasting reminder of the consequences of fanaticism and violence. The occasion brought together insti- tutional representatives, victims’ asso- ciations, victims of terrorism, relatives and members of the public for a tribute honouring those who lost their lives to terrorism. The event also remembered the 44 people with links to the Valen- cian Community who were murdered in terrorist attacks, both inside and outside the region. In his address, the President of the Ge- neralitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, called for victims’ memory to be preserved as a democratic and moral duty. In a speech centred on recognition and the defen- ce of constitutional values, he stressed PÉREZ LLORCA STATES THAT “NO SOCIETY COMMITTED TO FREEDOM CAN AFFORD TO FORGET THOSE WHO SUFFERED BARBARITY” MUTXAMEL TURNS REMEMBRANCE INTO COMMITMENT The town in Alicante province hosted the first official observance of this commemorative day, created to preserve the memory of those who suffered terrorist violence. It recognised victims’ participation as educators in the Project to Implement Teaching Units on Remembrance and the Prevention of Terrorism in Valencian classrooms.