Palma City Council has announced a public minute of silence at noon on Monday in Plaza de Cort to commemorate Miguel Ángel Blanco, the Ermua municipal councillor murdered by ETA in 1997. Supported by the Fundación Miguel Ángel Blanco, the ceremony will be held under the banner “XXIX Aniversario Miguel Ángel Blanco. Tu legado nos compromete” and is intended to reaffirm the city’s commitment to liberty and democracy under the rule of law.
Information from Europa Press, the event will include the reading of a manifesto prepared by the foundation. Municipal officials say the tribute remembers Blanco’s legacy and expresses solidarity with all victims of terrorism. The foundation’s involvement ties Palma’s civic ceremony to a wider commemorative tradition across Spain.
Blanco, a 29-year-old Partido Popular councillor, was kidnapped by ETA on 10 July 1997. The group demanded that ETA prisoners be transferred to prisons in the Basque Country. Blanco was found gravely wounded two days later and died on 13 July. His killing prompted mass demonstrations across Spain, an outpouring of public opposition to ETA known as the “Spirit of Ermua,” and a defining moment in civic resistance to political violence.
ETA’s campaign killed 858 people, according to RTVE. It also left approximately 2,600 people wounded, while nearly 90 were kidnapped. Blanco’s murder became part of a broader history of sustained terrorist violence. The unprecedented public mobilization after his killing helped strengthen solidarity with victims and support for democratic institutions in Spain’s public life.
Plaza de Cort, a basic civic gathering place in Palma, will be the focal point for the ceremony. The annual remembrance recalls the continuing importance of supporting victims and upholding democratic values. Recent civic responses to crises, such as the mobilization in La Guaira after the Venezuelan earthquake, likewise show how communities rally in the face of adversity, as detailed in this report on solidarity efforts following natural disasters.
ETA announced the end of its armed campaign on 20 October 2011 and dissolved in 2018, but the consequences of its crimes remain part of Spain’s legal and memorial debate. RTVE has reported that 379 ETA killings remained unresolved in its assessment. By emphasizing democracy and the rule of law, alongside solidarity with victims, the Palma ceremony links remembrance of Blanco to continuing calls for truth and accountability.
