On the EU Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism, the President of the European Parliament honoured the memory of the victims during a solemn event in Strasbourg. In her address, she said that Europe will never tolerate terrorism that is an attack on our security, on our European values and peace.
Dear Mr President, Dear Commissioner, Dear Ministers, Mayor of Strasbourg,Members of Parliament, Dear victims, families, and loved ones,
Hatred knows no borders. From Madrid to Mannheim, from Paris to Brussels, terrorism has left our families in mourning, shaken our communities, and scarred our nations.
But memory knows no borders either. It is our duty, our responsibility, to remember, to pass on, to commemorate. To never forget.
To those of you here today — Michel, Anna, Federica, Wolfgang, survivors, families, loved ones — I want to say this: All of Europe stands with you. Today, all of Europe shares your sorrow, your grief. Your suffering is our suffering. Your pain, our pain. And your anger, too.
Each year, on 11 March, we honour the memory of the victims of terrorism across Europe. But we know there is not a single day — not a single second — when you do not feel the emptiness left by this tragedy. Today, I want to pay tribute. To your courage. To your dignity. To the strength with which you carry the memory of those taken from you.
People often say, after a tragedy, that “there are no words.” But two words resonate with me: Never. Again.
No words can bring back those we have lost. But our actions can prevent other families from enduring the same pain.
That is why today is not only a day of remembrance. It must be a day of commitment. A commitment to fight, relentlessly, against terrorism.
Europe will never stand idle. Europe acts.
We are working with our Member States and global partners to combat radicalisation, anticipate terrorist threats, and protect our citizens.
Terrorism is an attack on our security, on our European values, on peace and tolerance in our societies. We will never tolerate it.
So today, before you, I say this: “Never again” must not be an empty promise. “Never again” is a pledge. It is a responsibility. It is a duty.
And Europe will rise to the challenge.
Thank you.