"Their memory cannot be sullied by a handful of votes", said the Mayor of Calvià
Calvià Town Hall held a moving tribute this Wednesday in memory of Diego Salvá Lezaun and Carlos Sáenz de Tejada, civil guards murdered by the terrorist group ETA in Palmanova 16 years ago, on 30th July 2009. The ceremony began with a floral offering on the street named after Diego Salvá, in front of the Sala Palmanova, and was attended by a broad institutional and citizen representation.
The event was attended by the mayor of Calvià, Juan Antonio Amengual, leading the municipal delegation; the president of the Balearic Islands Government, Marga Prohens; the president of the Balearic Parliament, Gabriel Le Senne; the president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés; the government delegate in the Balearic Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez; and the colonel chief in charge of the Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands, Alejandro Mosquera; along with political representatives, commanders of the Armed Forces, Civil Guard, National Police, civil society, and Diego Salvá's parents and family.
During the event, Mayor Juan Antonio Amengual gave a speech in which he assured that "although they are no longer physically with us, they are more alive than ever. Bombs and bullets cannot kill the idea of freedom or the memory of loved ones."
The mayor affirmed that Calvià "is a town that can forgive, but does not forget," and defended the need for justice for all terrorism victims: "Only oblivion and indifference could kill Carlos and Diego. And that will not happen."
Amengual also called for an end to impunity for unsolved ETA crimes and denounced the distortion of memory by those who today seek to whitewash the terrorist past: "It is estimated that between 300 and almost 400 murders by the terrorist group ETA have been committed, for which no one has been convicted. This impunity, which goes hand in hand with the ignominy of those who claim the terrorists as "men of peace," is an insult to the victims, to their memory, to their families. Some want us to remain silent, to stop insisting, to consider the past forgotten. And today, they seek to give lessons in democracy and try to convince us that nothing happened here. Too many have given their lives for our freedoms to sully their memory for a handful of votes."
The event included a minute's silence and the playing of La muerte no es el final (Death is not the end) and the national anthem. With this tribute, Calvià Town Hall reaffirms one more year its commitment to remembrance, justice, and ongoing recognition of terrorism victims, as well as its unconditional support for the families who still suffer their loss today.
