Netflix is set to release a powerful new documentary about one
of the most traumatic events in Spain’s recent history.
Titled « Miguel Ángel Blanco: The 48 Hours That Changed Spain, »
the film premieres on July 10 and revisits
the kidnapping and murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco, a 29-year-old city councilman who
became a symbol of Spain’s fight against terrorism.
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In July 1997, the armed separatist group ETA kidnapped Blanco and gave the Spanish
government 48 hours to transfer several imprisoned members.
When the ultimatum expired, Blanco was shot and died from his injuries two days later.
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His murder triggered an unprecedented wave of public outrage.
Millions of people took to the streets across Spain in what became known as the « Spirit of Ermua, »
a nationwide movement rejecting terrorism and demanding peace.
The demonstrations marked a turning point in public opinion against ETA.
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Directed by journalists Jon Sistiaga and Juanjo López Lorenzo, the documentary combines
never-before-seen archival footage, testimonies from relatives, journalists, investigators and
political figures to reconstruct the dramatic final hours before Blanco’s death.
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Beyond recounting the tragedy, the documentary explores how those 48 hours reshaped Spanish society,
strengthened national unity and accelerated the decline of ETA, which officially dissolved in 2018.
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Nearly three decades later, Netflix aims to preserve the memory of an event that
forever changed Spain’s political and social landscape.
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One thing is clear.
More than a documentary, this is the story of how one tragedy united an entire nation against violence.
