The Government of Catalonia this morning held the annual remembrance ceremony in memory of the victims and combatants who lost their lives during the Battle of the Ebro (25 July-16 November 1938), the bloodiest and deadliest battle of the Spanish Civil War. "Year after year, with the support of civil society and public institutions, we remember and pay tribute to the victims, with all the dignity they deserve," said the Minister for Justice, Rights and Memory, Gemma Ubasart i González.

This year, the setting for the tribute was the Carrova Tower in Amposta, declared a Historic-Artistic Monument of Local Interest in 1977, one of the most representative sites of the brutality of the Battle of the Ebro. According to the Minister, "democratic memory must be a school of citizenship; no young person, no person in this country who has not lived through the war or the dictatorship should ignore the fact that the rights and freedoms we enjoy today are the result of a deaf and constant struggle and anti-fascist commitment". Continuing, she reaffirmed the Catalan Government's commitment to preserving and keeping "alive the historical legacy" of all those who fought for "freedom, justice, democracy and human rights".

In the 115 days of the conflict, an estimated 30,000 people were killed, including civilians and soldiers from both armies. Many of the casualties, moreover, were members of what was known as the Lleva del Biberó, a group of young people between 17 and 18 years of age, mobilised by the Second Spanish Republic. As a result of the fighting, 15,000 people were taken prisoner and 75,000 wounded. The battle also led to the forced displacement of a large part of the population and ruined the countryside for generations. Even today, the scars of the battle are still visible in the physiognomy of Les Terres de l'Ebre.

This year, six representatives of the French association Friends of Combatants in Republican Spain attended. Among them was its president, Claire Rol-Tanguy, a well-known activist in France, and daughter of Henri and Cécile Rol-Tanguy, both brigadiers in the Battle of the Ebro and coordinators of the Paris insurrection of 19 August 1944. One of Rol-Tanguy's most important tasks was to get the Musée de la Libération expanded and moved to Paris.