A monument in the Historical Building of the UB will remember the thirteen victims of the accident in Freginals
The University of Barcelona paid homage to the thirteen Erasmus students who lost their lives in a bus accident in Freginals (Montsià) a year ago. In this moving and solemn event, a monument was set at the Ferran Soldevila Garden in the Historical Building. The monument had a magnolia -of the same species of the one in the Tree square in Freginals- and thirteen bushes, as well as a commemorative stone from Montserrat monastery, with the engraving “En memòria de les víctimes de lʼaccident de Freginals del 20 de marc de 2016” (In memory of the victims of the accident in Freginals on March 20, 2016), which will keep the memory of the students alive.
The tribute counted with the attendance of the President of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont; the Rector of the University, Joan Elias; the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Elisenda Paluzie, and the Vice-Rector for Students and Language Policy, Alba Ambròs. Representatives of the main political institutions of the country attended the event too, as well as the security forces and emergency services, and several governing bodies and academics from the University of Barcelona, both from the current governing team and the former one.
The University of Barcelona paid homage to the thirteen Erasmus students who lost their lives in a bus accident in Freginals (Montsià) a year ago. In this moving and solemn event, a monument was set at the Ferran Soldevila Garden in the Historical Building. The monument had a magnolia -of the same species of the one in the Tree square in Freginals- and thirteen bushes, as well as a commemorative stone from Montserrat monastery, with the engraving “En memòria de les víctimes de lʼaccident de Freginals del 20 de marc de 2016” (In memory of the victims of the accident in Freginals on March 20, 2016), which will keep the memory of the students alive.
The tribute counted with the attendance of the President of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont; the Rector of the University, Joan Elias; the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Elisenda Paluzie, and the Vice-Rector for Students and Language Policy, Alba Ambròs. Representatives of the main political institutions of the country attended the event too, as well as the security forces and emergency services, and several governing bodies and academics from the University of Barcelona, both from the current governing team and the former one.
“We want this place to keep the memory of these young students”
The first speaker was the rector, who after reading a short extract from Llibre dʼabsències, by Miquel Martí i Pol, said the event “results from the collective need of creating a place for a tribute” and said: “We want this place to keep the memory of these young students”. Also, he highlighted that “We chose a stone from Montserrat mountain, which represents what the university always wanted to be: a communion combining diversity and collectivity”. “We opted for a magnolia -continued Elias- because it is a resistant and attractive tree, thanks to its bright leaves, which donʼt change during the year. And there are thirteen bushes, chosen for their resistance to climate conditions so they can last, like our memory”.
A hard but necessary tribute
Then, Elisenda Paluzie, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, where five of the victims were studying, said that -like the former rector, Dídac Ramírez, had said when finishing his mandate- the accident in Freginals is, with no wonder, the hardest moment she went through, and affirmed this was a “hard but necessary tribute”. She mentioned the students who lost their lives, but also the students who got injured in the accident, who suffered from serious damage and are still fighting to overcome the tragedy. She remembered that “the University of Barcelona has to be with the families and friends of the victims with their pain and grief”, and highlighted that there are some Italian universities and town councils that have created grants and scholarships in memory of the students. For example, she mentioned an Italian girl who is currently studying at the Faculty of Education of the UB thanks to one of this grants, and read a letter in Italian written by the student to pay homage to the victims.
“A memory to last forever in our hearts and minds””
The Vice-Rector for Students and Language Policy, Alba Ambròs, spoke in English so that the families who were watching the event on UBtv could understand. Ambròs said that they chose this emblematic place of the Historical Building of the UB so that “the memory of the victims lasts forever in our hearts and minds”. And she lamented that “sometimes unimaginable and unfair things happen, such as the tragic accident of last year, which marked the lives of the families and friends of all victims and injured people”.
“Never forget this tragic event”
The President of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, said that “todayʼs event responds to the will of the families and friends: to never forget this tragic event”, and thanked the University of Barcelona for having paid tribute with a monument that will last forever. He highlighted -like the other attendants- the effective, coordinated and quick action of all emergence and safety teams, both in the moment of the accident and the following hours and days, and noted that “We felt the pain of the families of the victims and injured people, and what they expected from us”. Puigdemont said, in response to the demand of the families after the accident, that the Government will make everything so that such an accident doesnʼt happen again, and ensured that “After a year, I can guarantee there have been improvements which I am sure will prevent a similar tragedy from taking place”.
The design of the monument counted with the participation of the Botany Laboratory of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Unit of Botany and Mycology of the Faculty of Biology, as well as the Building Works services of the University of Barcelona. The trio Tocs de Música performed two musical pieces during the event.