The City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz presided this afternoon over the award of the city’s Gold Medal to the Centro Foundation for the Memory of the Victims of Terrorism during the White Virgin’s festivities. The Global Memory for Coexistence platform, composed of the Association 3 of March, the Egiari Zor Foundation and the Gernika Commission, criticized the nature of the center when it was founded in 2020. The platform argued that the groups that compose it have “a firm decision to build coexistence” and that it has to be “a collective challenge”, but that the center “makes a discriminatory approach”. Association 3 of March, the promoter of the platform, has denounced that it makes a "partial reading" of the initiative.

Faced with the decision to award the Vitoria-Gasteiz Gold Medal, the platform organized a mobilization and a press conference on 2 August at 12:30 in the Plaza Nueva de Vitoria-Gasteiz. The March 3 Association has expressed through social networks that “it is absolutely humiliating and embarrassing that a public institution such as the City Hall of Vitoria-Gasteiz awards the Memorial Center model that perpetuates discrimination between victims”.

The mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Maider Etxebarria, distinguished three ideas for the gold medal of the center: "To preserve and disseminate the democratic and ethical values represented by the victims of terrorism, to build a collective memory of victims and to raise awareness among all citizens to defend freedom and human rights and to fight terrorism". In addition, he pointed out that the centre has become “a new tourist resource”, as nearly 85,000 people have been present since its inception.

Meliton Manzanas yes, victims of 3 March no

EH Bildu has also been against the award of the gold medal and in favour of the initiative of the Memory Osoa platform. “EH Bildu is committed, without exception, to building an inclusive memory that recognizes and protects all victims,” the political party said. Association 3 of March and EH Bildu have recalled that the center of Vitoria-Gasteiz is based on Law 29/2011 on the Recognition and Comprehensive Protection of the Victims of Terrorism and that its definition aims to be “a sign of recognition, respect and solidarity with the victims of all manifestations of terrorism registered since 1 January 1960”. They have denounced that this approach "excludes thousands of victims of human rights violations caused by state apparatus from that date", although they have acknowledged that some of the victims have been included in the laws approved by the Basque Government and the Government of Navarra. Eh Bildu has denounced that the centre pays tribute "every August to the torturator and collaborator of the Gestapo Meliton manzanas", while the victims of 3 March 1976 will not.