The Barcelona Response
[ by Charles Cameron — from a half-million-strong march to the hug of a victim’s father and an imam, Barcelona and Spain repond to terror with nobility and grace ]
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Telesur‘s headline read Nearly 500,000 March for Peace in Barcelona, and their subhead:
Marchers, on Saturday, displayed signs and banners with various slogans. Some read, “No to Islamophobia,” “The best response: Peace,” and “I’m not afraid.”
The march:
A makeshift shrine to those killed in the attack:
A monarch visits the survivors of terror:
NPR reports on the celebration of Mass in La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona:
Mass Held In Barcelona To Honor Victims Of Terror Attacks
Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia and other dignitaries attend a solemn Mass at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Basilica on Sunday for the victims of the terror attacks that killed 14 people and wounded over 120 in Barcelona, Spain.
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We remember the sacred magnificence of the ritual setting, Antonio Gaudi‘s Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, in which this Mass was offered:
And Spain’s considerable Moorish history, exemplified by the Mezquita of Cordoba:
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We witness the profound gesture of the father of the youngest victim, as reported by Daily Sabah, Europe:
Father of youngest victim of Spain attacks hugs imam in defiance of terror, Islamophobia
The father of the youngest victim of last week’s tragic terror attacks in Cambrils and Barcelona hugged a local imam in an emotional protest against terror and Islamophobia.
Xavier Martinez, who lost his three-year-old son Xavi in the attack on Las Ramblas avenue, embraced Spanish imam Driss Salym in the town of Rubi, near Barcelona on Friday. The video of the two hugging, defiantly showing unity and compassion, was widely shared on social media.
Here is the BBC’s video:
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Oof, the imam’s tears at the end of that clip.
Many cities have shown their resilience when attacked, and we are proud of them: Barcelona best of all.
