Ermua, Vizcaya (España)
The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, accompanied His Majesty King Felipe VI this Sunday at the State tribute to Miguel Ángel Blanco held in Ermua, on the 25th anniversary of his murder at the hands of ETA, together with the Lehendakari, Íñigo Urkullu, the President of the Lower House of Parliament, Meritxell Batet, and the Mayor of Ermua, Juan Carlos Abascal.
"We must remain committed to the memory, remembrance and affection for the victims, because we owe part of our dignity as a society to all of them", stressed the President of the Government of Spain. "Peace has cost us a lot of pain. Let us hope that this pain is definitively transformed into an indestructible collective conscience that will always, always, always protect us from violence," he said.
Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo
The Chief Executive recalled that twenty-five years ago, the cruel murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco set a fundamental date in our democracy and that since then we have been a different country that will never again bow down to terror. "The spirit of Ermua that was born then is the spirit of unity and peace, of coexistence and harmony," he said.
October marked the tenth anniversary of the end of terrorism in our country, and the President of the Government reaffirmed that if today Euskadi and Spain are free and peaceful countries, it is thanks to all those who have opted for party unity vis-à-vis terror and hatred, to the work of justice, to the essential international collaboration, to the valuable and courageous work of the state law enforcement forces and agencies, to the Ertzaintza and, of course, to the society of Euskadi and Spain.
"We need society not to forget," he said, and to this end, the Chief Executive has appealed to the efforts of everyone, from civil society organisations to the inclusion of Memory in education, to bring this memory closer to young people who are not familiar with that era of our history. He also highlighted the importance of initiatives such as the Museum and Memorial Centre for the Victims of Terrorism in Vitoria, to maintain the memory of Miguel Ángel and of all the other victims.
Non official translation
Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo