Barcelona pays tribute to the victims of the Hipercor attack

On June 19, 1987, a car bomb exploded in an Hipercor discount department store in Barcelona leaving 21 dead and 45 injured. It was the most severe terrorist attack perpetrated in Catalonia’s recent history. On Monday, June 19, citizens, city and governmental officials honored the victims in a remembrance ceremony organized by ACVOT, a terrorist victims association group. Barcelona's mayor, Ada Colau, and the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, publicly asked for forgiveness from victims’ families who may have felt that the institutions had not provided sufficient support and promised that they will be never forgotten. Carles Puigdemont added that sometimes the affected victims may have felt abandoned, or that the institutions had not replied to their needs, not only in terms of financial needs but also in terms of receiving attention, warmth, and sympathy. “We owe you a perpetual embrace, which does not expire,” Puigdemont said, also recognizing the difficult task of victims’ associations of making themselves heard and respected in today's society.

Colau highlighted the city’s commitment to the memory of the victims. “The city will never forget you,” she promised during the memorial. The Spanish interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, said that the defense of the terrorist victims has to be taken seriously and that it cannot be limited to one specific day like a remembrance day. He promised that the Spanish government will always be on the victims’ side.