Thousands take to the streets of Barcelona, Girona and Tortosa to claim that there are More Reasons Than Ever for independence.
This year’s Diada has highlighted the broad character of Catalonia’s pro-independence movement with three decentralised demonstrations taking place in Barcelona, Girona and Tortosa, which gathered over a 100.000 people. The demonstration was jointly organised by Assemblea, Òmnium Cultural, the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI), the Council of the Republic, the Intersindical trade union, and the minority rights group CIEMEN.
Under the slogan “More reasons than ever. Independence.”, thousands of Catalans have once again taken to the streets of Barcelona, Girona and Tortosa on Catalonia’s National Day to demand their right to self-determination and to denounce the political, cultural, and economic repression exercised by the Spanish state.
The main demonstration has taken place in Barcelona, with parallel actions in Girona and Tortosa. At precisely 17:14h—a symbolic reference to 1714, when Catalonia lost its freedoms—the marches set off and culminated with a central political rally. In the closing speech delivered by Assemblea’s President Lluís Llach, he highlighted the underlying motive of independence: “Together, we claim independence not only as a legitimate right of our nation, but also as the tool that must guarantee the collective rights that are denied us. We want the Catalan Republic because we need a more equitable and just society”.
This year’s main 11th of September protest will take place in Barcelona to denounce the dire consequences of being part of Spain, which are built around three key axes:
- The denationalisation of Catalan culture, language, history, and identity through systematic policies of assimilation.
- The increasing marginalisation of the Catalan language, a deliberate attempt to suffocate and weaken it.
- The annual fiscal plunder of over €22 billion, which fuels crises in housing, transport, education, healthcare, and social support.
Assemblea affirms that without independence, Catalonia has no future project. The movement insists on the urgent need to open a new phase: with greater experience, organisation, commitment and determination to achieve freedom.
International presence at the Barcelona demonstration
The Catalan National Day has had a strong international presence. Catalans marched together with over a hundred foreign representatives from several countries and stateless nations including Uyghurs, Kabylians, Kurds, Biafrans, New Caledonians, Szeklers, Quebecois, South Moluccans and others. From Europe, we were joined by representatives from Flanders, the Basque Country, Galicia, Castile, Corsica, Sardinia and Brittany who also joined in solidarity with Catalonia’s struggle.
The right of peoples to self-determination is a cornerstone of modern international law, which upholds the principle that all peoples have the freedom to determine their political status and sovereignty without external interference.
It is in defence of this fundamental right that the international delegation carried a banner reading “For Self-Determination: Stronger Together”, symbolically underscoring solidarity and the universal demand for freedom and equal opportunity for all peoples across borders.
The Catalan National Assembly has organised peaceful and democratic rallies and protests to demand Catalonia’s independence every 11th September since 2012.
Catalan events all over the world
On the occasion of the Catalan National Day, several of our foreign assemblies have mobilised the Catalan diaspora with various political, cultural and social events taking place in England, the Netherlands and France. Furthermore, the American foreign assemblies have come together to organise several events to celebrate La Diada.
Our Foreign Assemblies work at a grassroots level with local organisations, NGOs, and political representatives to inform about the political situation in Catalonia. They encourage anyone interested in contributing and working alongside the Catalan pro-independence cause abroad to get in touch with them and learn more or even take part in their work.