What happened at Barcelona is very exceptional. I’m proud to be Catalan.
September 11, 1714 after 414 day siege of Barcelona, Catalonia was incorporated by force into a fledgeling Spanish state. Yesterday in Barcelona, the largest demo in European history was hold for the right to vote for independence.
As you can see in these photos, participation exceeded all expectation. More than 1,8 milion people poured into the streets, gathering along two of the country’s largest avenues of Barcelona forming the shape of a V symbolizing “Vote”, “Victory” and “Voluntat” (We Want to Vote).
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| photos: www.ara.cat |
The most impressive part was the giant human Catalan flag that we create wearing yellow and red T-shirts. Can you imagine how difficult is to organize all this people wearing the appropriate T-shirt and being at the appropriate point of the street? It was extraordinary!
This human V has two demands: we want to vote, and we want the independence.
It is important to note these two things. The first one it seems obvious but it is not. Catalan Government has scheduled a referendum for 9 November. However, the Spanish government has blocked saying that it is not legal according to the country’s Constitution (of course, they write this law and they can change it…. Nevertheless, they do not want). The second one shows that so many Catalans call for independence from Spain, we are disappointed with Spain and we are tired of justifying Catalonia’s national status and language. We need a comfortable place for Catalonia from a political, cultural and economic perspective.
It is important to note these two things. The first one it seems obvious but it is not. Catalan Government has scheduled a referendum for 9 November. However, the Spanish government has blocked saying that it is not legal according to the country’s Constitution (of course, they write this law and they can change it…. Nevertheless, they do not want). The second one shows that so many Catalans call for independence from Spain, we are disappointed with Spain and we are tired of justifying Catalonia’s national status and language. We need a comfortable place for Catalonia from a political, cultural and economic perspective.
Do all people in Catalonia want the independence? No! Not For sure! In fact, yesterday a group of pro-Spanish unity supporters gather in Tarragona to protest against the self-determination process. The Tarragona demonstration gathered between 3500 and 7000 people. This anti-independence people accuse self-determination supporters of dividing Catalan society, and of manipulating history. The difference is that they do not support the idea of a referendum!
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| pro Spanish supporters |
It is obvious that most people did not attend nor the human V neither the Tarragona demonstration (we are 7 million people). Some of them were at home, others above, on vacation; studding or they did not want to participate in this type of demonstration…. It does not matter. The only democratic way to know what Catalan people want is to vote!!! We must have the right to vote and to decide our future in a peaceful and democratic way (like Scotland, for example….). Just to know what Catalans prefer! It is easy!!!
I hope that actions like yesterday (the massive V) will give strength to our leaders to find a way to vote on our future!
