There are no words to describe the horror suffered yesterday in Barcelona. One more time, a terrorist attack was perpetrated against innocent people. People who were just enjoying their time in one of the most open cities in Spain.
But we have words for those who committed and claimed the attack: you cannot defeat peace; you will not defeat us, we will stand united and we will resist terror.
Yesterday, 13 people died and more than 80 were injured in a coward act in the city centre of Barcelona, where a van ran over citizens from more than twenty countries. Hours later, the Spanish security forces stopped what could have been a second attack in a beach city close by. The terrorist group Daesh claimed responsibility.
World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA – CdM) condemns yesterday’s coward attack in Barcelona to our people, our dignity, our freedom. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we wish a quick recovery to those who have been injured. We would also like to thank also the security and emergency forces for their quick, attentive, brave and sharp response. We must stand with each other.
The Members of our organization, all of them former Presidents and Prime ministers democratically elected from around the world, will continue working to prevent and counter terrorism, as they have been doing during the last 12 years. It was then, iIn 2015, when Club de Madrid launched the “Global Consensus”, a document containing a set of principles and ideas to counter and prevent violent extremism wherever it happens while respecting human rights, democratic values and the rule of law.
Now more than ever this effort is needed. Attacks in Turkey, Brussels, France, the UK, Iraq, Nigeria or Lebanon remind us of this. As our Member and former President of Costa Rica – Jose María Figueres– said, “Today I’m with the people of Barcelona. Tomorrow I’ll be with those who suffer the consequences of senseless anger, hatred and destruction”.
