We Are Not Afraid
The people of Barcelona took to the streets yesterday with a powerful message for the religious extremists behind the latest terror attack: "We are not afraid."
The Times reports the comment of a T-shirt shop owner just off Las Ramblas, Mohammed, who said: "We must go on. They cannot win."
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/defiant-crowds-return-to-the-streets-after-spanish-terror-attacks-qk7xsrscc
Barcelona: Defiant crowds return to the streets after Spanish attacks
Fiona Hamilton, Graham Keeley, Barcelona | Charles Bremner - The Times
Crowds chanted “We are not afraid” as they flocked into Las Ramblas, scene of Spain’s first Islamist terror attack since 2004
The heart of Barcelona came back to life today hours after a van rampage in which at least 14 people were killed and 130 injured.
Las Ramblas boulevard, at the centre of the city’s tourist district, was flooded with thousands of people who came to pay tribute to the dead and show their defiance.
Crowds chanted “No tenim por!”, or “We are not afraid”, as they walked down the strip of shops, restaurants and kiosks where a van was driven into crowds. Processions of people walked through the street clapping in tribute to the quick response of emergency services, while an impromptu rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine broke out at a vigil for the victims.
The heart of Barcelona came back to life today hours after a van rampage in which at least 14 people were killed and 130 injured.
Las Ramblas boulevard, at the centre of the city’s tourist district, was flooded with thousands of people who came to pay tribute to the dead and show their defiance.
Crowds chanted “No tenim por!”, or “We are not afraid”, as they walked down the strip of shops, restaurants and kiosks where a van was driven into crowds. Processions of people walked through the street clapping in tribute to the quick response of emergency services, while an impromptu rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine broke out at a vigil for the victims.
Spain’s dignified tribute to victims
Las Ramblas opened around 8am after a rapid clean-up by police and emergency services, although chalk marks of victims were still visible on the ground. Shopkeepers opened their doors and locals and tourists alike flooded through the area after a one-minute silence in Placa de Catalunya, attended by King Felipe of Spain and Mariano Rajoy, the prime minister. The country has now entered three days of official mourning.
Huge crowds then moved through Las Ramblas chanting and clapping as they carried Spanish and Catalan flags. Shops said they had been besieged by people looking for candles and flowers to lay at the scene.
Ander Olazabal, 33, from the Basque country, said: “I had to come, I had to show support. It’s always a bit confusing, a bit crazy going to the same place. But we need to show strength and unity.”
Mohammed, the owner of a T-shirt shop just off Las Ramblas, who helped to shelter tourists last night, said: “We must go on. They cannot win.”
The vigil came after a chaotic few hours in which police also shot dead five suspected terrorists in Cambrils, 70 miles south of Barcelona, wearing fake suicide belts.
The suspected jihadists, who are believed to be part of the same terror cell as those who masterminded the Barcelona rampage, rammed their car into pedestrians in the early hours of this morning, injuring six people. A woman who was taken to hospital later died from her injuries.
Barcelona! (18/08/17)
Another song to celebrate all that's great about Barcelona and the city's hospitable, friendly citizens - this time from Rufus Wainwright.
