Lleida on Monday remembered the victims of the Liceu Escolar bombing, which occurred on November 2, 1937, carried out by Italian fascist aviation. The institutional ceremony was held in front of the sculpture commemorating the school, 'Memory, dignity and life', on Blondel Avenue.
Mayor Fèlix Larrosa presided over the event, accompanied by the third deputy mayor, Cristina Morón, and the Councilor for Education, Xavi Blanco, among other municipal representatives. Survivors and relatives of the victims also attended, including Manel Sampedro, Maria Viñals (widow of Jordi Quílez), Jordi Amorós (nephew of Ramon Ortín), M. Rosa Piró (daughter of Josep Piró), Àngels Triquell (daughter of Josep Triquell), and the grandchildren of Frederic Godàs, the founding teacher of Liceu Escolar, Francesc and Danae Godàs.
Mayor Larrosa emphasized the responsibility to prevent the passage of time from erasing the memory of those events and to preserve their meaning for new generations. He recalled that this year marks the 90th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and highlighted how violence and intolerance can destroy lives and communities. Larrosa valued the principles of Liceu Escolar, which believed in education to foster free individuals and build a just society, a legacy that "we cannot let be lost".
Councilor Xavi Blanco stressed the importance of memory in times of hate speech and intolerance, stating that "remembering is not just looking at the past, but a way of understanding the present and building a different future".
The commemoration included a historical account by historian Oriol Bosch and a theatrical performance by the Company La Màxima of the Ilersis Foundation, featuring the interpretation of 'El Cant dels Ocells' by Laura Baraut, a student at the Lleida Conservatory of Music.
Liceu Escolar, founded in 1906 by Frederic Godàs, was the first school in Lleida associated with the Escola Nova movement. On November 2, 1937, nine Italian fascist aircraft bombed the city, causing over 250 deaths. A bomb hit the Liceu Escolar, destroying the building and killing about fifty children and teachers.
