It is 85 years since the Gernika fire, which was set on fire under the Fascist airplane bomb. However, the screams at the time are still heard and remembered each year with a multitude of acts.

This year the City of Gernika-Lumo organized a special program to commemorate the tribute to José de Labauria, mayor of the town in 1937, on April 26 at 10:30 in the plaza that bears the same name. But the central event will be in the afternoon, at 15:45 a.m., the siren of the Astra factory will return to work at 15:45 a.m., in Astra and in the Pasileku of Gernika.

The association Pueblo de las Viudas de Sartagudo will launch the device used in 1937 to give notice of the bombings, which was built in Sabadell thanks to an investigation. Then a floral offering will be made to those who died in the bombing and, as usual, a candlelit tour will take place at dusk.

The lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, will go to the floral offering and the respondent on 26 April in Gernika, together with the first secretary of the Ukrainian embassy, Sergii Solovey.

History Days 27 and 28 April

As part of the anniversary of the bombing, the Gogora Institute, the UPV, the University of Nevada and the City Hall of Gernika-Lumo have organised a history conference with the participation of historians and experts.

These days, coordinated by Xabier Irujo, who is better acquainted with the bombardments of German and Italian aviation in the Basque Country, will include, among others, the intervention of the British Paul Preston, author of the Civil War of 1936. The full programme is available here (pdf). The Congress will also present the project for the restoration of the Astra Refuge.

In addition, there will be a tribute to the journalist and gudaris George Steer, a cycle of short films that still bombard us and a concert within the commemorative acts of the bombing.

Complaint of the Gernika Memoriagune Platform

The Gernika Memory-Leku platform has denounced that this platform has withdrawn the announcing signs of the programme organised on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the bombing, "intended from the mayor through a salaried person".

The platform has explained that it is a collective that "promotes popular memory" and has emphasized the need to build "truth, justice, recognition and memory". "They seem not to like our mayor, but they have to respect them in the same way," he added.

It takes away the posters from the Gernika bombing 85.urteurreneko every day via an employed person, apparently @AytGernika. Any explanation, Mr Gorroño? #Gernika85 pic.twitter.com/CCKy1u2Tjt

— Guernica Gernikara (@GGernikara) April 22, 2022

Within this programme, the website Gernika 2037 will be presented on 29 April, with the help of the Lobak association.

Question to the Spanish Government PNV

The Basque Nationalist Party has announced this Tuesday that it will ask the Spanish Government whether it will take "any action" to repair the damage done to the Gernikarras. Jeltzale Senator Imanol Landa will discuss the issue at the Spanish Senate’s full control of this issue.

In addition, he will ask whether the Government is prepared to adapt the current Spanish legal system to Universal Justice, "to reopen the law to know and judge international crimes against humanity, such as those that Russia has denounced in the military invasion of Ukraine".