The relatives, in the foreground, have starred in the floral offering after an act with music and poetry | Dozens of people break the floral offering and the minute of silence with shouts against the State and Borràs greets them
Lourdes and Albertin a white shirt with a dove pin and a bouquet of white flowers in a paper bag, walk down La Rambla again. Five years ago, they saved the life of miracle. The van passed within a meter of her, who did not see it coming. He was able to run and take cover. After, they helped where they could until they were evicted and cared for in a hotel. Five years have passed, not without psychological help in the case of Lourdes. And by going back to the Rambla -they work near Plaza Catalunya- they can today make the deadly route of the attack. A route of about 600 meters that on foot requires six minutes but that day the van traced in a few seconds, at full speed, zigzagging. Lourdes and Albert have come to the homage of institutions and entities in the Pla de l’Os de la Rambla, where next to the Miró mural is the memorial to the victimswhose motto is: “Que la pau et copperixi, oh ciutat de pau” (“May peace cover you, oh city of peace”).
The victims and their families, who have returned, like Lourdes and Albert. They have returned from Belgium, from Germany, from Australia: the parents of Julián, a seven-year-old boy who was with his mother that day on the Rambla. He was reported missing until he was included in the list of victims and wounded. This is one of countless cases of emotional heartbreak. Some, like Javier Martínez, the father of a three-year-old boy who also died in the attack, did not have the strength to attend today’s meeting. Yes I was, as always, Robert Manrique, from AUAVAT (the organization that coordinates care for victims), always with papers in hand and ready to embrace and denounce, equally. Ada Colau, the mayor, has greeted the victims with emotion.
Borràs supports the boycott
Minutes before the act, several dozen people have raised white banners with the phrases “we demand the truth” and “we demand explanations”, and shouting “we want to know the truth”. All this breaking the moment of recollection of the act and while the mother of one of the murdered minors, sitting in the center of the promenade, holding a framed photo with her son and a white carnation, bursting into tears. The boycott has not respected the minute of silence or the floral offering of the victims and institutional representatives, of the security forces, among others. “You, fascists, are the terrorists”, they have shouted after the act. At that moment, the dismissed president of the Parlament, Laura Borràs, has come to greet the boycotters, who have received her with cries of “president”.
Espriu and Txarango
The city has paid tribute to all of them with poetry, music and a minute of silence, on a slightly cloudy day in which the city seems to hold its breath. Poetry by Fàtima Saheb and music by choir voices, directed by Arnau Collado and with guitarist Riccardo Ooms. Ahmed has read the poem Memòria de Espriu (“I always escort the teu etern silence to the mountain. Altres temps, altres hores fan the difficult record”). The choir has performed Agafant l’horitzó, by Txarango (“Res per nosaltres; per a totes, tot. A la por i al racisme, calar-hi foc. Qui treballa la terra se la meritix. Lo poble mana, el govern obeeix”) and a traditional Irish song. “Time will never be able to erase the memory of those who are no longer here”, proclaimed Fàtima.
After the minute of silence, two children, the age of the two who were killed that day, have been the first to make the floral offering. Behind them, all the representatives of institutions, entities and victims.
“I had the opportunity to do everything I could”
In the second row behind the victims, the institutional representatives have been placed, as in previous years. Among them, the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau together with the entire municipal council, the president Pere Aragonès, the ministers Miquel Iceta and Raquel Sánchez, and members of the Parliament, led by the second vice president, Assumpta Escarp. Laura Borras, president of the dismissed Chamber, has occupied the third row. The president of the Congress, Meritxell Batet, among others, has also attended.
Around this morning’s act, which lasted about fifteen minutes, the presence of Mossos vans and agents of the Guardia Urbana. They also containing the emotion. “I had the opportunity and satisfaction of doing everything I could“, explains circumspectly an urban agent who was on the Rambla that day. And he is silent.