REMEMBRANCE ceremonies start in Barcelona this evening ahead of tomorrow’s first anniversary of the terror attacks in the city, in which 16 people died and more than 150 were injured.
Catalan President Quim Torra will lead the acts of commemoration for 17-A, as the date is known in Catalonia, along with Jordi Munell, the mayor of Ripoli, under the slogan “Ripoli for coexistence”.
This event will include workshops on human relations, coexistence and cultural diversity.
Pere Aragonès, the vice-president, and other officials will visit Alcanar City Council, where they will be received by the mayor, Alfons Montserrat.
They will then tour a restaurant, Serramar d’Alcanar Platja, which became the operations and medical centre for those affected by the explosions of 17-A, and offer thanks to all who helped in their aftermath.
Security forces have been working over the past weeks in preparation for the main remembrance ceremonies tomorrow, which will see the normally bustling La Rambla prohibited to traffic for the whole day.
Local politicians will play second fiddle to the families of the deceased as they take part in a walk from Barcelona City Hall through the area that was the centre of the attack.
This will be followed by the laying of a floral tribute.
Media presence will be restricted to respect the privacy of grieving relatives.
Coachloads of visitors are expected in the Placa Catalunya later for the main public act of remembrance – poems, songs and readings from residents’ of the city.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia are also expected to attend this event.
This evening, Torra and other members of his government, will meet with jailed minister Joaquim Forn – who was responsible for the interior ministry at the time of the attacks – in Lledoners Prison near Barcelona.
This will be followed by a gathering outside the prison, organised by the Catalan National Congress (ANC) and Òmnium Cultural to honour the victims of the attacks and the emergency services, firefighters and Catalan Police Mossos d’Esquadra.
Saturday will see a ceremony in Cambrils, where police shot dead four suspects linked to the Rambla attack.
Here, the Memorial for Peace will be inaugurated on a roundabout near the yacht club where the attackers died, with Torra and government representatives in attendance.
Following the 17-A attacks, thousands of visitors from all over the world spontaneously left more than 12,000 objects and documents at the site where the bombers’ van stopped as a tribute to the victims.
Over the past 12 months these have all been catalogued, listed and archived on a memorial website which includes more than 4600 messages of solidarity, almost 8000 individual items and nearly 30,000 signatures in a digital book of condolence.
The work was carried out by the Museum of History of Barcelona (MUHBA), the Municipal Archive, the Communications Department and the Ciutat Vella District.
Messages have been left from many countries, including one from New Zealand, which reads: “Beautiful Barcelona. Open city and meeting place. Each generation writes its rules with their behaviour, and carries its values in their conversations and culture.
“Barcelona’s brave response to last month’s attacks re-inscribed its rules and values for all to see. Ancient cultures with open minds are hard to find. I look forward to my next visit.”
Another, from Rosana Echeverria, in Barcelona, reads simply: “Killing your sisters and brothers will never take you to paradise.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here