Vera de Benito, daughter of one of the victims of 11-M: “They may have taken our relatives from us, but never their memory”
Vera de Benito, daughter of one of the 192 deaths of 11-M, participated this morning in the event of tribute by the Community of Madrid to those affected by the attacks on its twentieth anniversary. “The magnitude of these attacks has always been directly proportional to the level of understanding and support of the country as a whole. The eternal lines to donate blood in those days of March in which the Community of Madrid felt a stoic pang in the heart of the streets, is a perfect example of what Spain has gone through in terms of terrorism,” said De Benito in the event, which is being held at the Real Casa de Correos, in Puerta del Sol. “They may have physically taken our relatives from us, but they will never, ever be able to take away their memory,” he said to close his speech.
De Benito also had words for the health workers, taxi drivers, security forces and neighbors to thank them for their help that day. “The capital was the epicenter of the most absolute jihadist terror that March 11, 2004, it showed its enormous generosity and participated in the solidarity that characterizes it,” she said. “Today, March 11, 2024, we value the importance of memory and unity of an entire country in times of unrest or incessant violence.”
She also remembered her father, Esteban de Benito, who died on March 11, when he was about to turn 40 and she was 10: “We were a good duo.” “He was the best father I could have had, I would love for him to be here,” she said.