The Town Hall Square of Collado Villalba hosted a memorial event for the councillor murdered by ETA, during which a manifesto against the forgetfulness and manipulation of terrorism was read.
The Town Hall Square of Collado Villalba was filled this Monday with locals and authorities to pay tribute to Miguel Ángel Blanco, the young councillor from Ermua who was murdered by ETA 29 years ago. The event, presided over by the mayor Mariola Vargas, was one of many held across Spain called by the Foundation that bears his name, under the slogan 'Your legacy commits us'.
A cello to open the remembrance
The ceremony began with a musical piece performed by Armen Antonian, a teacher at the Municipal School of Music and Dance of Collado Villalba, which added an emotional touch to the event. After the music, the manifesto of the Miguel Ángel Blanco Foundation was read, a text that emphasises the importance of not forgetting or manipulating the history of terrorism in Spain.
The manifesto recalls that Miguel Ángel Blanco was 29 years old when he was kidnapped and murdered, the same age that has passed since then. “A young man from Ermua, councillor of the Popular Party, who was going to work on July 10 when the terrorist organisation decided to give a 48-hour deadline to his life, to his future,” the text states, also highlighting that two and a half million Spaniards took to the streets during those days to condemn the attack.
A message against forgetfulness and manipulation
The manifesto read in Collado Villalba also aimed to highlight the role of the anonymous individuals who contributed to the defeat of ETA: “ETA was defeated thanks to the sacrifice of the State Security Forces, the independence of Justice, and the civic resistance of Spanish society. But it was also defeated by thousands of anonymous people who will never make headlines or appear in history books.”
The text warns that “forgetting or manipulating that history, relativising or whitewashing terrorism, is to pervert the democracy that protects us and to humiliate the victims.” A message that resonated with those present, who observed a minute of silence in memory of all the victims of terrorism.
The commitment of Collado Villalba to memory
Mayor Mariola Vargas highlighted the importance of municipalities like Collado Villalba joining these events to keep alive the memory of those who suffered from terrorist violence. “It is our duty to remember and demand justice and freedom,” the mayor stated, thanking the presence of the locals and members of the Municipal Corporation.
Collado Villalba has thus become one of the many points in Spain where this tribute has been held, demonstrating that Miguel Ángel Blanco's legacy remains relevant 29 years later. The event concluded with the placing of a bouquet of flowers on the Town Hall facade, symbolising the municipality's commitment to the memory of the victims.
For the residents of Collado Villalba, this tribute represents an opportunity to reflect on the value of democracy and the need to remain vigilant against any form of totalitarianism. A remembrance that, year after year, is renewed in the square of the mountain town.
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