Barcelona commemorates 2017 terror attack victims nine years on

Barcelona commemorated the victims of the 2017 terror attacks on Monday, on the 9th anniversary of the day.

Institutions, emergency services, relatives, and victims' associations observed a minute of silence in memory of the dead in Barcelona and Cambrils.

They did so with an event in Plaça Sant Jaume instead of La Rambla, due to the ongoing construction works.

The event was attended by mayor Jaume Collboni, interior minister Núria Parlon, parliament speaker Josep Rull, and the Spanish government's delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto.

Javier Martínez, father of Xavi, the little boy who died in the Rambla attack at the age of three, said that the parents feel "alone" all these years later.

"I spoke today with victims of other attacks and they have also been alone all their lives. Alone, without attention," he explained.

According to him, sometimes you just need to ask the victims and their families what they need. "That's the main thing," he said.

On the other hand, he also pointed out that as long as there are classified papers related to the attack in Madrid, they will never know the full truth. "Why are these papers classified?" he reflected, wondering what needs to be "hidden."

In this sense, Martínez also explained that he hopes that in September he will be able to have the conclusions of the investigation committee that took place in the Congress of Deputies to know "what they found."

"I have lost a three-year-old son, I want to know the truth and I will be asking until I die," he said.

According to him, on days like today he thinks about what his son, who would now be 12 years old if he were still alive. "It's hard and every day it gets harder," he admitted.