Barcelona attack: What the trees say By Patrick Jackson

BBC News, Barcelona Published duration 21 August 2017

If each great city takes in a terror attack in its own way, in Barcelona they write on the trees.

Along Las Ramblas, on trees overlooking spots where the van ran people down, the beautiful patchwork of the bark teems with words and symbols.

"The plane trees of Barcelona witnessed the massacre," reads one message, written in Catalan. "They are still standing."

Left by people from all over the planet, in a host of languages, they go from angry to inspirational. Here are some of them:

"Love from Northern Ireland"

"Love and peace. Israel" (In Spanish)

"Morocco is with you"

"You will always [be] in our hearts. Love. Pray for Barcelona. Russia, Moscow"

"Sons of bitches" (Spanish)

"Peace in the whole world. Philippines"

"Love" ("amor" means the same in Catalan, Spanish or Portuguese)

"We will never be afraid to live. Peace and freedom are a human right and we will not stop remembering it. We're not afraid" (Catalan)

"You will never defeat us" (Catalan)

"Love from Manchester UK"

"Enough already!" (Spanish)

"Barcelona is love, not war" (Spanish)

"Stop!"

"Love and peace" (German)

"You'll never be forgotten"

"We are all Las Ramblas" (Spanish)

"Hugs matters"

"Keep me in your memory. Leave out all the rest. Love, Barcelona"

"We will never give up" (Catalan)

"God is a god of peace, not of war" (Spanish)

"Love and peace will save the world"

"Love from Iraq"

"I still have hope in mankind" (Spanish)

"Love conquers all fears" (Spanish)

"Where is the love?"

"Barcelona like a jewel in the sun" (lyric from Freddy Mercury song)

"Terrorism never again" (Polish)

"Barbarity in the name of religion" (French)

"I am a Muslim. I condemn terrorism"

"The sky is shining brighter now" (Catalan)

"Rest in peace in Heaven"

"Without love there is no future" (Spanish)

"Peace is not written in blood!" (Spanish)

"Love wins"

"Terrorists are not Muslim"

"Make love not war"

media caption "Barcelona is going to rise up again with its spirit and its openness"

"No more hate. Islam is the religion of love"

"Hold on BCN we love u"

"Love against hate"

"Messages of love in times of war" (Spanish)