Eibar once again reflected on the deepest mirror of its history this Tuesday. Unzaga Square, the setting on the dawn of April 14, 1931, for the proclamation of the II Republic by the Eibar City Council, hosted a highly symbolic and emotional event this morning to mark the city's official declaration as a Place of Democratic Memory.
Ninety-five years after that dawn that forever changed the name and meaning of the square —from Alfonso XIII to Republic Square—, the city receives a title that recognizes its pioneering bravery and the suffering it endured for remaining faithful to the values of freedom, justice, and democracy.
“"Today, the dark forces of authoritarianism, violence, war, and indiscriminate massacres of civilians are re-emerging in the world. Against this, the solution to the world's problems can never involve war, violence, and conflict."
The Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, delivered one of the most personal and heartfelt speeches of the morning. With family roots in Eibar, he recalled that in this city «is the history of my family» and acknowledged that here he learned «the working-class pride, woven with strikes, with solidarity, with a thirst for justice», as well as «the pride of daring and imagination in politics». Bustinduy specifically paid tribute to Gregorio Bustinduy, his great-grandfather's cousin and one of the councilors who signed the plenary act proclaiming the II Republic on that April 14, 1931.
The Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez, recalled that the Spanish Government had already announced a year ago its intention to declare Eibar a city of memory, a decision that was recorded in the Official State Gazette on April 6. Martínez explained that two fundamental reasons led to this recognition: the fact that Eibar was the first municipality to proclaim a democratic republican regime, even ahead of Barcelona and Madrid, and the suffering endured by the city during the Civil War, especially due to the bombings and devastation caused by Italian and German aviation.
“"Today is a very important day for the city. The recognition as a Place of Democratic Memory is well deserved, both for Eibar's courage in proclaiming the Republic in 1931 and for its subsequent fidelity to republican values and democratic legality."
The mayor of Eibar, Jon Iraola, emphasized that «today is a very important day» for the city. He considered the recognition as a Place of Democratic Memory «very well deserved», both for Eibar's courage in proclaiming the Republic in 1931 and for its subsequent fidelity to republican values and democratic legality. This loyalty, the socialist mayor recalled, brought terrible consequences from 1936 onwards, with repression, dictatorship, and the 1937 bombing. For the mayor, the received declaration constitutes «a matter of dignity and a necessary reparation for the city's memory».
