29th Anniversary of the Assassination of Miguel Ángel Blanco: Painful Memories and Political Debates

Spain is commemorating the 29th anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco by ETA. This tragic event, which took place in July 1997, inflicted deep wounds in Spanish democratic history and shook a large part of society. Blanco's murder sparked mass protests against the ETA terrorist organization and turned the victim into a folk hero. Today, there is a serious debate about how these painful memories are used in the political arena and how politics is played over the dead. On the anniversary of the event, the author brings up Árnaldo Otegi's stance and the government's pardon with a critical tone.

Despite the years that have passed since the event, the fact that the ETA members, known as the perpetrators of the assassination, continue their lives without remorse continues to arouse great anger in society. It is remembered that the surviving killers displayed dismissive attitudes in the courts where they were tried and mocked the victims' families. This situation has brought along questions about how fairly the Spanish justice system treats victims of terrorism. The angry words shouted by the victim's sister, Mari Mar Blanco, at the killers in the courtroom, right to their faces, still remain fresh in memories today. These and similar painful details reveal how difficult it is for the wound to heal. The pain suffered by the victims' families clearly demonstrates how the shadow of the past falls on today's Spain.

According to the author, double standards are at their peak in today's Spain, and historical memory is being selectively reconstructed. The harsh punishment or marginalization of politicians who raise doubts about issues such as climate change in the political arena contrasts with the pardoning of other politicians who overtly belittle brutal assassinations committed in the past or are alleged to have ties to them. This situation has created a deep distrust of political elites and the government among a part of society. The conciliatory policies followed by the Spanish government and especially Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on these issues are frequently criticized by conservative and nationalist circles. It is claimed that the ruling party, ignoring historical facts, has become part of a great political game for the sake of votes.

The story of Miguel Ángel Blanco goes beyond a single murder; it is also an indication of how ordinary people are turned into legends. At the age of 29, he was a city council member with a fiancée and a regular job; he had an ordinary life just like the rest of society. For this reason, his tragic end caused millions of ordinary Spaniards to identify with his life by saying 'this could have happened to me too' and take to the streets. However, today, it is noted that the younger generation, especially those under thirty, knows almost nothing about this event and has never heard the names of other ETA victims. The inadequacy of the education system causes young people to not receive sufficient and effective history lessons regarding these dark periods. In this context, painful events face the danger of turning into exhausted stories forgotten on the back pages of history books.

The waving of the act of forgetting like a social flag can pave the way for the repetition of past mistakes. The author also warns against the risk of the stories told in Fernando Aramburu's famous novels turning into a narrative that legitimizes or softens ETA violence. Tragically, the fact that on the anniversary of the event, a large part of society will be vacationing on the beaches as if nothing happened, just like Otegi who turned a blind eye to the killer, cements this pain. For a segment of Spanish society, this has become just an old story and a memory that does not even cause an interruption in the flow of daily life. This ruthless forgetting means that the pain suffered by the victims and their families is rendered invisible once again. The disappearance of the bloody pages of history behind a simple desire for a summer vacation is the harbinger of a profound social loss and a grave irony.