Spain is looking for words to commemorate the dead, whose exact number no one knows. There were thousands of lonely death. Also on your last journey, the deceased often remained alone, because the country was in quarantine. How deep the Trauma is, the left, the Corona pandemic was felt on Thursday morning on the Plaza de La Arméria, the arms square in front of the Royal Palace in Madrid. With a simple and moving ceremony commemorated the Land of the 28.413 deceased – in reality, there were probably a lot more than this official number: To 43,000, the excess mortality during the worst weeks of the pandemic. was So many victims had to commemorate the Spanish democracy has never, for the state funeral, there was not a role model.
Hans-Christian Rößler
Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb, with its headquarters in Madrid.
F. A. Z.
a Good 400 people gathered in a large circle around a flickering flame. The image should show, how the country United in grief, as it is in its worst crisis was brought. “We share the pain,” said king Felipe, who took part with Queen Letizia and their two daughters to the act of state part. The whole government, the EU leadership with Ursula von der Leyen, the Nato Secretary General and the President of the world health organization (WHO) came to the state funeral. Even the separatist regional President Quim Torra had traveled from Barcelona to Madrid Royal castle. Only the right-wing populist Vox-party remote remained. It accuses the government, the Spaniards about the real dead figures “lying”.
But the politicians were silent this Morning. It should go to the relatives, Recovering, nurses, garbage men and supermarket cashiers. Almost all were wearing black face masks, in the summer morning, many tears have had to absorb. Comforting close to the safety distance was that separated the chairs far apart from each other.
“When my brother and I speak, I speak also of all the other,” said Hernando Calleja, the words rank, as he passed his in April and Covid-19 deceased’s brother recalled – as a proxy for all other members. According to him, a nurse from Barcelona, as a representative of the Spaniards, who kept the country Running and which the government wanted to pronounce on Thursday its voice recognition. Arora López thanked for the applause, the medical staff received a week-long every night of the citizens. At the same time, they appealed to the Spaniards to forget the nurses and Doctors now. The reminder is acute, because Barcelona is a new infection to the rolling wave and threatens to overwhelm the hospitals.
Accompanied by the melody of the “spiritual song” by Johannes Brahms, in addition to the national anthem, the only music, laid down all the white roses around the flame. At the end of the poem “Silence” by the Mexican Nobel prize winner Octavio Paz stand. Without further words, the square in front of the king emptied after a good 40 minutes to the castle.