MADRID – Eighteen years ago, 193 people died during Jihadist terror attacks on metro stations in the Madrid region. Bombs exploded in the morning of March 11, 2004, on three commuter trains at Atocha, Santa Eugenia, and El Pozo stations and nearby on Calle Tellez.
Since then, each year a tribute is paid to the victims of these atrocious terror attacks. This year, the tribute started at around 9.00 am this morning at Puerta del Sol, Madrid outside the entrance to the Real Casa de Correos, headquarters of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid. Isabel Díaz Ayuso (President of the Community of Madrid) was accompanied by the City Mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. Together, they laid a wreath below the commemorative plaque which was installed there shortly after the attacks in 2004.
Commemorative plaque
The words on the commemorative plaque read;
“To all those who knew how to fulfill their duty in helping the victims of the March 2004 attacks and to all the anonymous citizens who helped them. May the memory of the victims and the exemplary behaviour of the people of Madrid always remain”
In Memoriam 11M
Furthermore, church bells rang throughout the region for five minutes. Then the Orchestra and Choir of the Community of Madrid performed the ‘In memoriam 11M’ and the national anthem.
Tributes
The tributes then moved to the Atocha train station at around 10.30 am. Here, there was a minute´s silence, floral tributes, and musical remembrance.
Then, around mid-day, the traditional tribute to the Bosque del Recuerdo took place at the Parque del Retiro. This is organised by the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) and commemorates the 11M European Day of the Victims of Terrorism. Members of the association, relatives of the victims as well as various politicians gathered to observe a minute´s silence. Furthermore, there was another floral tribute of white daisies.
Tributes will continue throughout the day at each of the attack sites.
NetFlix
A new NetFlix documentary called “11M: Terror in Madrid” has been released. It shows accounts from several journalists, survivors, and experts as they begin to unravel and analyse some of the key issues leading to the attack, the frantic days that followed, and the consequences it had on the Spanish people.
Read more: 11M tribute 2021
