The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, added that "on an anniversary like the one we celebrate we have to reclaim, defend and strengthen democracy". And we have to do it "by being courageous; consolidating and advancing in rights and freedoms; making our society a more prosperous and cohesive, free and tolerant society, as claimed by the Spanish Constitution; fighting the 'fake news', because lies and disinformation are the main weapon of the enemies of democracy; cultivating optimism, because despair is the greatest corrosive of life in society", and remembering history, because forgetting the mistakes of the past is the first step for these to be repeated again.
To this end, conferences, exhibitions, audiovisual projections and cultural activities will be held throughout 2025, with "three clear objectives". "The first is to celebrate the great economic, social and political transformation that Spain has undergone in the last 50 years. Because remembering how much we have achieved in the past is the best way to understand how much we can achieve in the future," he said.
The second will be "to pay tribute to all those people, collectives and institutions that have made this transformation of success possible." And, of course, "to value the efforts of the citizens, who with their talent and ambition have made Spain a world reference in stability, prosperity and tolerance".
The president has pointed out that the third objective of this anniversary will be "to convey to our young people the importance of living in democracy", "because when you have spent your whole life under your protective veil, it is easy to forget the enormous strengths of democracy and let yourself be seduced by those who promise people 'order, security and wealth' in exchange for taking away the power to choose their destiny."
He also pointed out that "we are not the only ones who celebrate this type of ephemeris. In fact, all the countries around us have commemorated the anniversary of their democracies, and they have done so using the same milestone that we used: the beginning of the end of their dictatorships and the beginning of the democratizing process."
During his speech, the president also recalled the lack of freedoms during the Franco regime and denounced the advance of autocratic values and regimes in the world and the rise of fascism in Europe.
The event was attended by Carmina Gustrán, Commissioner for 'Spain in Freedom. 50 years' and the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez.
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