Emotional tribute to the ertzaina who prevented an attack on the Guggenheim

The Basque Government, colleagues from the Ertzaintza and relatives have paid tribute and remembered the Ertzaina Txema Agirre this Thursday, on the 25th anniversary of his murder at the hands of ETA.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
13 October 2022 Thursday 15:32
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Emotional tribute to the ertzaina who prevented an attack on the Guggenheim

The Basque Government, colleagues from the Ertzaintza and relatives have paid tribute and remembered the Ertzaina Txema Agirre this Thursday, on the 25th anniversary of his murder at the hands of ETA. During the ceremony, the 'Mila Esker' association of ertzainas presented the agent's family with a posthumous medal and an honorary diploma in recognition of "his personal sacrifice and dedication" and for "fulfilling his duty at the service of the entire Basque society".

The plaza on the esplanade of the Guggenheim Museum, which bears the name of the murdered agent, was again this Thursday the scene of a tribute to Ertzaina Txema Agirre, who was shot on October 13, 1997 by members of the terrorist group ETA, who intended to blow up an artifact during the opening of the museum.

The directors of the Ertzaintza, Victoria Landa, and of Human Rights, Victims and Diversity, Monika Hernando, together with members of the Headquarters, of the Ertzaintza and fellow agents of Txema Aguirre, as well as institutional officials, such as the deputy general of Bizkaia, Unai Rementeria, have attended the act in his memory, in which a minute of silence has been observed and a floral offering has been made.

During the act, organized by the Basque Government and the Ertzaintza, the 'Mila Esker' association of ertzainas presented Txema Aguirre's family with a posthumous medal and an honorary diploma.

The president of the association of ertzainas 'Mila Esker', Pablo Rivero, pointed out that the Guggenheim Museum has become "a world icon, the best letter of introduction that Euskadi and Basques can have around the world", and highlighted , among the many names that made it possible, that of the architect who designed and built it, Frank Gehry, and that of Txema Agirre, who "defended it and protected it until death".

"Today, thanks to them, it is possible for this to be a reality, for it to be visited by thousands of citizens and to be the pride of all of us, just as it is a pride for us to wear the uniform with the same respect and pride with which our colleague Txema he did," he said.

For this reason, he explained, 'Mila Esker' wanted to award Txema Agirre, posthumously, a medal for police work and merit and an honorary diploma, which they have given to his widow, Maite Mollinedo.

With this diploma, Rivero specified, they express their recognition, memory and gratitude "for the personal sacrifice suffered by our colleague the Ertzaina Txema Agirre as a result of the terrorist attack suffered while performing his professional duties".

In addition, with the delivery of the medal, the association of ertzainas 'Mila Esker', on behalf of all the agents of the institution, recognizes "his sacrifice and dedication for being a public official who fulfilled his duty at the service of all Basque society". "You have always been and will be in our memory," said Rivero.

After finishing the act of homage, in statements to the media, the president of the association of ertzainas 'Mila Esker', Pablo Rivero, said that today is "an emotional, reminiscent and painful day that, in some way, we also have to take advantage of to extol and honor the figure of our companero Txema and many other companeros from other State Security Forces and Bodies, also ertzainas, who gave their lives to defend and guarantee the lives of others".

Thus, he recalled that this Sunday, October 16, another act will be held in memory of the ertzaina Juan José Pacheco Cano, assassinated by ETA 34 years ago in Legazpi, by exploding a booby trap placed in the Brinkola tunnel to sabotage the Renfe Madrid-Irun railway line.

Rivero has highlighted that, after two years of work by 'Mila Esker', the acts of memory of "many forgotten colleagues" are being resumed. "And today, fortunately, in all the Ertzaintza police stations, at twelve o'clock the anniversary of Txema is going to be counted, they are going to talk about Txema Agirre and they are going to observe a minute of silence", so that the new generations of ertzainas "are going to know who Txema was", he highlighted.

Regarding his claim for more means to clarify the still unsolved ETA attacks against Ertzainas, Julio Rivero said that "if we claim that any society must be fair, justice for the victims is that those responsible for the murders are known and that they put themselves at the disposal of justice, as it cannot be otherwise in a democratic and legal state".

After recalling that they have asked "all the institutions, the judiciary and the central and Basque governments" for more means, Rivero acknowledged that there has been "some progress", thanks to new technologies that allow evidence to be recovered. "In the end, it is what we can offer the victims and their families, remembrance, memory, affection and justice," he concluded.