The Victims of Terrorism Park in Alcobendas hosted an emotional event with Mayor Rocío García Alcántara and the sisters of the murdered councillors. The doubling of grants to victims' associations was announced.
The Victims of Terrorism Park in Alcobendas was the scene this Thursday of a tribute to Miguel Ángel Blanco, the PP councillor murdered by ETA 29 years ago. The mayor, Rocío García Alcántara, presided over the event, which was attended by Marimar Blanco and Teresa Jiménez-Becerril, sisters of two councillors murdered by the gang.
A remembrance of the 1,451 fatalities
During her speech, the mayor recalled that ETA caused 1,451 deaths, over 5,000 injuries, and 167 kidnappings. “Along with this, there are tens of thousands of citizens threatened, businessmen extorted, families forced to leave their homeland,” she stated.
García Alcántara also mentioned the PP councillor Alberto Jiménez-Becerril, who was murdered along with his wife Ascensión García Ortiz six months after Miguel Ángel Blanco. She thanked the sisters of both for their presence: “You are proof that terrorism failed.”
The legacy of the spirit of Ermua
Marimar Blanco read the manifesto for the 29th anniversary, which highlighted the birth of the spirit of Ermua following the demonstrations of over two million Spaniards. “From that civic resistance, something was born that no terrorist could foresee. The Spirit of Ermua was born,” she noted.
The text emphasised the moral obligation to pass on to new generations what happened: “Not to fuel confrontation, but so that forgetfulness does not open the door to manipulation.”
Alcobendas doubles aid for victims
The mayor announced that in 2027 Alcobendas will host the exhibition “The Voice of the White Hands,” in memory of the legacy of the spirit of Ermua. Additionally, the City Council will double the grants to associations of victims of terrorism.
The event included a speech by Teresa Jiménez-Becerril and a minute of silence. To conclude, authorities and family members laid a white flower at the Monument to the Victims of Terrorism, while the teachers from the Municipal School of Music and Dance performed pieces such as Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.
The residents of Alcobendas who approached the park were able to join the tribute, which reinforces the city's commitment to the memory of the victims of terrorism. The annual event has become a tradition that, according to the mayor, “keeps alive the memory of those who were murdered by terrorist barbarism.”
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