Ermua remembers this Sunday Miguel Ángel Blanco on the 25th anniversary of his kidnapping and murder at the hands of ETA

Presided over by Their Majesties the King and Queen, the event will be attended by the President of the Government and the Lehendakari

BILBAO, 10 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Ermua will host this Sunday an act of remembrance for the PP councilor of that Biscayan town, Miguel Ángel Blanco, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his kidnapping and murder at the hands of ETA. The tribute, presided over by the King and Queen, will be attended, among others, by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, as well as the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, and the mayor's sister and president of the Miguel Ángel Blanco Foundation, Marimar Blanco.

The event, organized by the town council, will be held 25 years after the popular mayor, 29 years old, was kidnapped by ETA.

That July 10, at six in the afternoon, a caller, who spoke on behalf of the terrorist organization, called the Egin newspaper to warn of the kidnapping and warned that he would kill him if he did not approach all the Basque prisoners, giving deadline for this until Saturday, July 12, at four in the afternoon.

ETA carried out its threat and assassinated the popular councilor, which provoked an unprecedented rejection in the form of mobilizations in all parts of the State, also in the Basque Country.

This Sunday, the figure of Miguel Ángel Blanco will be remembered again in Ermua with an event organized by the City Council and which will have a broad institutional and political party representation, as well as other areas of society, with the estimated presence of around 400 guests.

The tribute will begin at half past twelve in the sports center that bears the name of Miguel Ángel Blanco, with the interventions of the mayor of Ermua, Juan Carlos Abascal, Mari Mar Blanco, sister of the mayor and president of the Miguel Ángel Blanco Foundation , the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to close with the words of King Felipe VI.

Initially from the City Council it was not planned that Mari Mar Blanco would intervene, who sent a letter to the mayor of Ermua to allow him to address a few words in tribute to his brother.

Blanco, who also sent a copy of that letter to the Presidency of the Government of Spain and the Basque Government, indicated in the letter that he considered "justified and necessary" to be able to address the audience on behalf of his family and the Miguel Ángel Blanco Foundation and He assured that the explanations that the mayor had offered him about the fact that this year "the aim is to honor all the victims of ETA" are not "convincing" for him. Finally, from the Consistory the initial decision was changed to meet the request of Mari Mar Blanco.

After the interventions in the Miguel Ángel Blanco sports center, it is expected that the attendees will travel to the monolith to the Victims that is located in the San Pelayo Park to make a floral offering in memory of the mayor.

Among the personalities who have also confirmed their presence are the Government delegate in the Basque Country, Denis Itxaso, or the president of Ciudadanos, Inés Arrimadas, among others. In addition, it is also expected that the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, will attend, who this Saturday has taken part in the closing of the Miguel Ángel Blanco School. In contrast, the former Prime Minister, José María Aznar, will not attend.

On behalf of the Basque Government, in addition to the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, the two vice-lehendakaris, Josu Erkoreka and Idoia Mendia, will go to Ermua; the Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies, Beatriz Artolazabal; the Minister of Territorial Planning, Housing and Transport, Iñaki Arriola, and the Minister of Tourism, Commerce and Consumption, Javier Hurtado.

Other institutional representatives will also be present, such as the Deputy General of Vizcaya, Unai Rementeria, or the President of the Basque Parliament, Bakartxo Tejería.

The City Council has also sent invitations to former Presidents of the Government and former Lehendakaris, to the General Assemblies of Vizcaya, to all the mayors of Vizcaya, to employers and unions, among others.

In this way, on behalf of the PNV, the president of the EBB of the PNV, Andoni Ortuzar, plans to attend, and the Basque PP will be represented by its president, Carlos Iturgaiz, together with the general secretary, Laura Garrido, and the parliamentarian Carmelo Barrio.

On behalf of the PSE-EE, several members of the Executive Commission of the PSE-EE will attend, such as its general secretary, Eneko Andueza, José Ignacio Asensio, Miguel Ángel Morales and Cristina González. The attendance, by the Basque socialists, of the vice-president of the Basque Parliament Txarli Prieto, and the senators and deputies of the PSE-EE, among them the lehendakari Patxi López, is also planned.

On the other hand, the act will not have representation from Sortu, considering that it will be "a tribute to the Spanish monarchy and the Spanish Armed Forces". Vox will not be present either, understanding that it is a "false tribute to victims of ETA along with ETA launderers and along with Bildu's government partners."

On behalf of Podemos, Pilar Garrido will attend on behalf of training at the state level and also as coordinator of training in Euskadi. The parliamentary spokesperson for Elkarrekin Podemos-IU, Miren Gorrotxategi, and some members of this political force will also attend.

On the other hand, the tribute will also have representation from some victims' associations such as Covite, although AVT and Dignidad y Justicia have decided not to take part.