People make decisions, people take the first step, and people close a stage.
To continue doing, however, we need references; the referentiality of those who have preceded us along the way; the lives of those who lived before us; the stone on which our thought was engraved. Recovering these referentialities, and the stories of these people, we also recover the history of our peoples.
Certainly, there have been many important people who have worked hard to erase the history of our peoples, but thanks to humble but dignified people, this history and culture have survived until they reach us. And now we have to be the living memory of all these pieces of history, assemble our present with that set of pieces, and with that base, build the future.
On February 5, 1939, Lehendakari Jose Antonio Agirre and President Lluís Companys began their journey in exile, from outside trying to govern their villages. Almost 80 years later, half of the Catalan Government is in prison, and the other half exiled for political reasons.
On September 11, 1973, the Pinochet military coup bombed Chilean democracy, capturing, torturing, disappearing and killing thousands of people. One of them was the teacher and singer Víctor Jara. For 45 long years the Chilean people have kept Jara's memory alive, and demanded justice. And it has arrived; 45 long years later, 8 soldiers have received a blow to impunity. The relatives, happy, have said: "It is an important defeat for those who want to deny history."
On March 3, 1976, through an armed attack against the unprecedented working class, in the throes of Franco, the Spanish police killed 5 workers, and injured more than 100. While it is known that Minister Martín Villa was the one who gave the fatal order, today nobody has been judged for these facts. Gasteiz does not forget the 5 companions, and carries them with dignity in his memory. So much that several members of the Association March 3 have been this week in the European Parliament asking for justice and recovering history. And justice and truth will come, if we remember the facts, if we keep them alive, and if we tell the story.
On July 8, 1978, in the heart of San Fermin, the Francoist police entered a bullring full of people with this direct order: "Go out to the square and throw as hard as you can, that you don't mind killing." And they didn't mind shooting and killing young Germán Rodríguez. 40 years later, the Pamplona women have filled the Town Hall square. With Germán in memory, they have said STOP to impunity, and they have again demanded the justice that will come if we keep the memory alive.
Cases like these there are thousands and thousands in our people and in our villages. Some of us keep them, but unfortunately many others have been silenced, or worse, they wanted to impose another memory. Why do we remember July 18? Why do we know so much about the bones of Sanjurjo and Mola, nor about those in the gutters? Why is the Duchy of Franco not expired?
At the present time it is necessary to make a reflection and see what we do each of us to sustain the hidden memory. We are all part of the story, we all have a story. Well, the silenced history of all these people is what we must recover, because by recovering our little history we contribute to making History.
