Nicolás Redondo Terreros, who is a lawyer and a member of the Board of Directors of FCC, spoke on Friday, 11 June, at the Nuestra Casa Retirement Home in Villalba (Madrid) as part of the FCC Corporate Volunteer programme, organised with the Esther Koplowitz Foundation.

Mr Redondo delivered an emotional presentation to a packese, which included both residents and volunteers, in which he talked about the more than forty politicians who have been killed by terrorist group ETA. Mr Redondo served as head of the Basque Socialist Party for many years, and was candidate for Lehendakari (President of the Basque government).

After his emotional look at the past, Mr Redondo talked about his father, also named Nicolás Redondo, an important union leader who played a key role in Spain's transition to democracy. His comments were met with thunderous applause. In his presentation, entitled "Spain, a traumatic history", Mr Redondo discussed the historical background of confrontations between Spaniards and the importance of transcending creeds and ideologies; he also recognised the period of peace and prosperity Spain has enjoyed under the reign of King Juan Carlos.

Mr Redondo warned about the impact on co-existence of ignoring that history, as evidenced with the recent Historical Memory Law.

After answering attendee questions, Mr Redondo lauded the hope arising from the understanding between non-nationalist parties with regard to the future of the Basque Country, an issue which he defended when he ran for the presidency of the Basque Country.