Felipe VI proclaimed this Monday that the victims of terrorism are those who best represent “the greatness of democracy and its strength,” as well as the determination to advance peaceful coexistence, which is why he has asked to do everything possible so that they feel “recognized, cared for and protected.”
On the 20th anniversary of the 11M attacks in Madrid, the king has vindicated “the integrity and dignity” of those affected by the violence in the act of commemoration of the European Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Terrorism”, which the European Commission (CE) has organized in the Royal Collections Gallery of the capital.
The kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, accompanied by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez (2i).
“The victims of terrorism are an ethical reference in our democratic systems and human values. “They symbolize the permanent need and commitment to defend freedom and the rule of law,” stressed Felipe VI, who was accompanied by Queen Letizia, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and representatives of the EU and the powers of the State. .
There have also been those affected by terrorism and family members, of whom the monarch has stressed that they remember “the collective demand” in the fight against violence and “the vileness and unscrupulous hatred” that citizens face.
“With their integrity and dignity, they are the ones who best represent both the greatness of democracy, its strength, and the determination to advance peaceful coexistence,” highlighted Don Felipe.
For the head of State, memory, justice and truth “is a commitment that just societies make with the victims of terrorism to restore and protect their dignity.”
Sánchez claims coexistence
For his part, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has appealed for the anniversary of 11M to be one of remembrance for the victims, but also of vindication of coexistence and respect as the best antidote against terrorism and what he has considered its breeding ground: fanaticism and intolerance.
The Chief Executive has called for remembrance “to defend the human rights that terrorists deny and to reinforce the rule of law, which is its main vaccine” and to prevent terrorist crimes from going unpunished.
Also to improve prevention mechanisms, to ensure that no one can be attracted to the hateful ideas that circulate on social networks and to protect the ideals of justice and freedom in Europe.
In the opinion of the President of the Government, “the principles of coexistence and respect are the best antidote against terrorist violence and its breeding ground, fanaticism, unreason and intolerance.”
And European values such as solidarity, he said, which serve as the basis for the determination to fight together against barbarism by strengthening cooperation in all areas.
“Fighting terror also means acting against the causes that fuel regional conflicts. It is to prevent fanatics from transforming desperation into a weapon to attack the principles of freedom and respect for human rights,” she stressed.
The vice president of the European Commission calls for unity
Among the 250 attendees were the community vice president Margaritis Schinas, the commissioner of the Interior and her Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Schinas has stated that the attacks carried out in Europe by extremists and totalitarians have had the goal of “weakening democracy and freedoms”, but “they did not succeed because these values are the DNA of the European way of life”.
“The light that illuminates us in an increasingly dark and uncertain world. Our best weapon and flag is our democracy, which will not stop flying,” guaranteed the Greek commissioner, who emphasized that “everyone fits” in the EU.
In the face of violence, Schinas has called on European countries to maintain unity: “Terrorism cannot divide us. On the contrary, it requires more unity.”
Madrid honors the victims
This Monday, the Real Casa de Correos was the scene of the traditional tribute ceremony that the Community of Madrid offers to the victims of the terrorist attacks of March 11, 2004.
The president of the Community, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, together with the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and representatives of the victims’ associations, participated in the event.
At 8:45 a.m. the ceremony began, which was also attended by the president of the Popular Party, Alberto Nuñez Feijóo, with the ringing of the clock bells at the regional government headquarters for two minutes, as well as a crowd of churches in municipalities of the region as a sign of remembrance.
After placing the laurel wreath with Martínez-Almeida in front of the plaque in the Royal Post Office that remembers the victims and wounded, Ayuso stressed that Madrid is committed to the memory of “each and every one of the victims, their families and friends,” after “one of the bitterest days in our history.”
“Nothing and no one can condition our path through threat, fear or blackmail,” Ayuso stated, and stressed that “freedom is defended by exercising it every day and in every circumstance.”
For the regional president, it is “an obligation” that 11M is not “indifferent” to the young people who lived through it and “those who are to come.”
The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has assured that “there are no exceptions of any kind” in terrorism and has assessed that the “debt” that Madrid has contracted with the victims is “unpayable”, while he has insisted on that, although terrorism caused “immense pain and immense sadness, it did not bring the city of Madrid to its knees.”
“It is from the victims that we obtain an indelible and unforgettable lesson, that we are not defined by the blows we receive, but by how we get up,” he said.
Vera de Benito, a victim of the attacks, also participated in the event, saying that violence is “the last resort of the incompetent” and terrorism constitutes “ignorant behavior,” while praising the “angry response to each shot.” and bomb” by a society that “has always lived up to it.”
BY: Nadeem Faisal Baiga
