This afternoon, the King presided over the opening of the United Nations International Conference on Victims of Terrorism, at which he expressed his maximum support and commitment, calling on participants to continue “the fight against terrorism and always in favor of the victims, those who “most have suffered the scourge of this phenomenon which continues to torment society. »
Without losing sight of the international panorama and the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 – acts that Don Felipe described as “despicable” – the King wanted to briefly evoke the decades during which Spain suffered greatly under the yoke of ETA terrorism, which, according to the monarch, inspired the Cortes to approve in 2011 the law of recognition and comprehensive protection of victims, a “pioneering” norm, which makes memory the main tool for “ethically, politically and socially delegitimize those who were killed”. who use violence as an instrument to sow terror. »
The king spoke these words while praising the role that victims play as agents of peace in society, and he did so in front of an audience filled with members of the government, the prosecutor’s office and even the former Zapatero’s foreign minister, Miguel. Angel Moratinos Cuyaubé. This event took place in the middle of a new political storm which has precisely at the center the ETA prisoners who could benefit from the reform of a rule that the Executive has proposed and which, if it materializes, would lead to a reduction of sentences in Spain. for up to 40 convicts from the missing terrorist group.
Despite this, Marlaska and Albares’ speeches aimed to guarantee “the commitment of the Spanish government” to all those affected by terrorism. The head of the Interior even stressed that the “objective” of society and the Executive is to achieve “the social delegitimization of terrorism so that there is no trace of any justification for its crimes “, and he recalled that Spain is a country that has “suffered the terrorist scourge since the 60s of the last century” and that this form of violence has cost “thousands of lives” in our country.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke from a more international perspective, speaking of the attacks perpetrated by Hamas a year ago in the State of Israel and recalling the “absolute rejection” of the Spanish government towards these actions, recalling that two Spaniards died in the attacks. . In addition, Albares wanted to reiterate that “the hostages must be released.”
