IÑAKI ELLAKURÍA,BARCELONA27/10/2019 14:18Actualizado a28/10/2019 11:47
The Urban Guard figure at 80,000 attendees, SCC speaks of more than 400 thousand
“Long live Catalunya, long live Spain.” A motto, a claim, which has been heard strongly in Barcelona today when tens of thousands of Catalans -80,000 according to the Urban Guard, more than 400,000 according to the organizers- have manifested themselves today in Paseo de Gràcia, in a peaceful environment and festive, against the process of independence and claiming “concord and democracy.”
A concentration organized by the Catalan Civil Society (SCC) and seventy constitutional entities in which an important representation of the leaders of the three major parties and the central government have participated. This is the first response of constitutionalism in the street since independence has mobilized against the ruling of the Supreme Court.
In a sea of flags of Spain, Catalonia and Europe, it has been the entities and the anonymous citizens who have had all the prominence, in what has been a collective shout against the independence process initiated by Artur Mas in 2012 and that has led to Catalan society to the current political, social and even sentimental fracture.
The march that has crossed the Paseo de Gràcia has also been a collective replica of that “els carrers sempre semper nostres” that the pro-independentist activists sing (the streets always will be ours) in their mobilizations. The call sought to recover the “spirit of October 8, 2017”, when a million people took to the streets, exceeding even the forecasts of the most optimistic constitutionalists, to reject the unilateral declaration of independence with which the then president of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont.
The blockade of the CDR has prevented the arrival of buses and cars from other parts of Catalonia
Two years later it has not been possible to repeat the number of attendees – affected by the blockade of the CDRs that has prevented the arrival of buses and cars from other parts of Catalonia – but the unity of constitutionalism, surpassing although only for a few hours the partisans battles.
“Then you will say, that we are five or six”; “Democracy, freedom”, “Puigdemont to prison”, “then you will say, that we are five or six”, “enough of violence”, “Barcelona, does not burn”, have been some of the most chanted cries, also thanks to the Mossos, the National Police and the Civil Guard.
Among the banners of the people could read slogans such as “The united Spain in diversity”, “bad governments, divide towns”, “indepes, lower the fumes” and the “process steals coexistence, public money, investments”, ” Amb pau i seny, guanyarem tots ” (with peace and reason we all win).
The atmosphere, as in the great concentrations of 2017, was festive, familiar, in which young people were mixed with shirts from Barça, Espanyol, the Spanish team. On stage, the president of SCC, Fernando Sánchez Costa, has read a manifesto in which he highlighted the “serene wave against violence and imposition” of independence.
A manifesto read in Spanish, Catalan and English. Sánchez Costa has repudiated the process and decisions of the separatist leaders. “What have you done with Catalunya? Why have you turned a universal land into a sectarian choir? Enough! ”, He said.
The president of SCC has read a manifesto in which he highlighted the “serene wave against violence and imposition” of pro-independentism
For his part, the vice president of SCC, Álex Ramos, has claimed the figure of the former president of the Generalitat, Josep Tarradellas. Despite this willingness of the organizers that the parties did not have the role of other occasions in the march, especially as this week coincided with the start of the 10-N election campaign, the presence of leaders was top-notch, with the presence of the president of the Congress, Meritxell Batet, and the president of the Senate, Manuel Cruz. On behalf of the Government, ministers Josep Borrell and José Luis Ábalos have been present. In addition, the Catalan Socialists have been represented by their first secretary, Miquel Iceta, and the spokeswoman in the Parliament, Eva Granados.
The vice president of SCC claims the figure of Josep Tarradellas
Upon arrival some people have booed the PSC entourage and have demanded that they break their pacts with the Catalan pro-independentists and pro-independentist city councils. “You are abandoning us,” they have been reproached. On behalf of the Popular Party, the president of the formation, Pablo Casado, the leader in Catalonia, Alejandro Fernández, the candidate for Barcelona on 10-N, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, the spokeswoman in the European parliament has attended the meeting in Barcelona , Dolors Montserrat and the municipal leader, Josep Bou.
While the representation of Ciudadanos has been headed by its president, Albert Rivera, his candidate for Barcelona on 10-N, Inés Arrimadas, the MEP Jordi Cañas and the two leaders in Catalonia, Lorena Roldán and Carlos Carrizosa.
Among the participants were also the former prosecutor and former member of Podemos, Calos Jiménez Villarejo, the Barcelona councilors Pel Canvi Manuel Valls and Eva Parera, and the Vox leader in Catalonia, Ignacio Garriga, who despite Santiago Abascal’s criticism of the organizers , feeling that they had excluded Vox, has finally decided to make an appearance.
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