Author: Antonio Fernandez
Barcelona
07/27/2019 05:00 – Updated: 07/27/2019 11:04
Some Catalan pro-independence platforms have begun to distribute this week a ‘Republican Action Manual’ as an anti-Spanish strategy vademecum. The document is dated a year ago and had had limited dissemination until now. It was made by Poble Lliure, the main party that integrates the CUP and its official title is’ Republican Strategy and Action. What can we do now?
An email sent to activists this Thursday attached the first public bulletin of this party and states that “here you will find all our proposals, always from an independentist, socialist, feminist and environmentalist perspective.” These proposals go through anti-Spanish campaigns, boycotts of Ibex 35 companies or the creation of institutions parallel to the official ones. In the presentation of the first bulletin, he points out that “Catalonia is experiencing historical times, but we do not have enough to be aware of the needs and desires of our people. In the Catalan countries we need organization to move towards the liberation of our nation complete and building a fair and democratic society. ”
It criticizes, however, that “the clamor in favor of the strategic unity of the independence and political forces is increasingly powerful. At the same time, however, we have wanted to confuse the sense of a truly strategic unit with the tactical interests of some parties (…) It is essential, then, to design and articulate a new strategic direction shared by all the political and social forces that make up the popular movement for independence, to face the current repressive phase and provide the Catalan people with a new impulse towards the conquest of the Independent Catalan Republic “. The bulletin attached a link to download the “Republican strategy manual”.
Strategy and republican action. What can we do now?
Strategy and republican action. What can we do now?
This manual, which has only 20 pages, begins with an introduction against the Spanish State. “Now we will not stop. Because stopping would be losing,” it begins. It accuses the State of “oligarchic, mafia and authoritarian” and goes so far as to say that there is a “revived Spanish Franco regime.” In another of his paragraphs he explains that “today we already have the full conviction that, in our country, they no longer want democratic citizens, but only slaves. And they want them (they want us) thoroughly Spanishized, that is to say, Castilianized and decatalanized and even worshipers of the Spanish occupation forces. ”
Triple action
It also assures the manual, prepared to launch anti-Spanish sophlamas, that “the Spanish State is at the limit of bankruptcy, kidnapped by a government of thieves who have sacked the country, with a corrupted judiciary at the exclusive service of the Executive and the extractive elites , and with a rotten media power, which fuels catalanophobia as a means of escape for popular discontent and, at the same time, to guarantee the economic survival of the regime in the short term. ” It recognizes, however, that “we do not have in front of a State with a crisis so large enough to generate, by itself, the scenario of self-determination of the peoples.” Given this dark panorama, the manual ensures that “the Catalan Republic is the only feasible way and its construction will only be possible through the democratic confrontation between an organized people and a State that, the more time passes, the more rotten it is.”
Therefore, the radicals consider that in order to give an answer to the Spanish State, “it is we who have to choose the land that is most favorable to us. We must not play in the field that they choose, which is that of judicialization, the threat and violence. ”
The manual proposes a triple action to defeat Spain: “Constant mobilization (protest, rejection, denunciation, etc.); through resistance and disobedience to the decisions of the occupant; and through the obstruction of the administrative and economic functioning of power oppressor”.
And, as concrete measures, it underlines the importance of “propaganda actions”, which seeks to “activate campaigns to denounce different forms of occupation and oppression.” In this field, “municipal motions where anyone who has stood out for repressive actions against Catalonia” must be declared a person non grata. Also the change of name and squares of streets, replacing the current ones with others with the name of ‘October 1’. “The aim of propaganda must be the corrupt Spanish monarchical regime and contrary to the popular classes of Catalonia.”
Slogans to spread
In this harassment strategy, the manual states that “it is necessary to spread slogans with specific aspects of the occupation: Outside the occupation forces / Outside Francoist judges / Say no to the occupation / The monarchy against the people-Republic / The monarchy against pensions-Republic / The monarchy against the Catalan-Republic (…) Slogans always accompanied by an identifying motto as ¡Por un pueblo libre! ‘”.
It also bets on a boycott economic strategy and clearly aggressive against Spain. “The economy is the basis of employment. Fiscal plundering is the reason for the political occupation and must be denounced permanently and measures must be worked to be able to counteract it (closing of boxes, etc.). As a measure of permanent action, it is It is necessary to take into account that the heart of the power of the State is the monopolistic type companies grouped around the well-known complex of the Ibex 35 (…) Without the economic strength of some companies listed on the Stock Exchange, the Spanish state empire sinks. ”
In this section, it proposes “rejection and punishment actions against the extractive economy of the regime, calling for the boycott or ‘mass abandonment of Ibex 35 companies’ or Franco’s capital (sic) to direct consumption to indigenous companies and companies or’ neutral. ‘The generic motto for this kind of action could be:’ Ibex 35. They abuse, we plant them. ‘”
The actions of the boycott, which has already been seconded by the ANC or the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, which now dominate the sovereigns, will be carried out through two main lines: the first, spreading general consumption criteria that are followed in bulk. The second, “through concrete campaigns to transfer service ascriptions.”
And this is where the big ‘indepe’ business is dropped: the change of company. “We propose, as first objectives, the successive changes of electric company (from Endesa to Som Energia, for example) and gas (from Enagas, Endesa, Natural Gas, to Catgas). At the same time, the transfer of deposits can be made banking (from Banco Santander, Bankia, Bankinter, BBVA, Caixabank, Banc Sabadell … to Caixa d’Enginyers or some Catalan Ethical Banking) “. And it ends by pointing out that “as a general consideration, it is necessary to add that the economy of the occupying power can also be controlled or hindered by means of actions that can affect the commercial distribution phase, a practice that requires an important degree of organization and preparation “. That is, subliminally appeals to actions that could well be sabotage.
Parallel institutions
The pulse of the State, on the other hand, does not arise from the Catalan institutions. These must be only “a wall, a retaining wall in defense of the rights of the Catalan people and the denunciation and coverage of the advances of the popular movement towards independence.” At that juncture, Poble Lliure advocates “equipping us with a strategy of rupture that contemplates and foresees the intrinsic vicissitudes of the confrontation between our democratic republican project and an authoritarian state.” Therefore, the party makes some very specific “strategic proposals aimed at the Republican movement as a whole and as ideas of mobilization and framing for each and every one of the militants and supporters.”
To begin with, the manual proposes to build “a sovereign republican institutionality,” that is, to create parallel institutions. One of them is the Consell de la República, with whom Quim Torra himself met on Friday at Waterloo. “It is the executive organ of the deployment of the Catalan Republic,” warns Poble Lliure, who stood next to Carles Puigdemont at the time of raising the sovereignty strategy against the State. Deepening Puigdemont in his follow-up, Poble Lliure stresses that this body “should be located outside the scope of Spanish judicialization and chaired by the highest representative authority.”
It is also proposed to create the Assembly of Representatives of the Catalan People, a body of democratic legitimacy, which would group both the elected representatives in the Catalan, Spanish and European Parliaments, as well as the municipal representatives. “If you are an elected position (councilor, mayor, deputy, deputy), promote the association with other elected regional and territorial level to give basic strength to the Assembly to be constituted,” recommends as a of the actions to be undertaken.
The National Congress of the Catalan People (CNPC) is another of the proposed bodies, which should group “all potentialities”. This instrument would be an amalgam of parties and entities and would become “a space for debate” to analyze proposals. Hence, I called on activists to participate in the different organizations of the republican movement (“CDR, ANC, Òmnium, unions, athenaeums and local, local groups, feminist groups, environmentalists, LGTBI …”).
The ‘indepe’ front
Another of the axes of the strategy consists in deploying only agreements between independence forces to “guarantee mayorships and republican governments”. It also advocates following “a strategy of attrition, boycott and permanent denunciation that weakens Spanish institutions such as Congress and the Senate.” In the European Parliament, “a unitary line of action for the systematic denunciation of the authoritarian and demophobic nature of the Spanish State” is also needed.
In the matter of “defense of prisoners”, it is committed to a unit “based on the political defense of all the persons accused.” It also calls for “a unified communication line, in the style of the Spokespersons Commission of the independentists detained in 1992 in Operation Garzón “. In this field, he calls” to participate in the different support groups for the reprisals, as well as in the mobilizations. “And, addressing the activists, the manual highlights:” Defend that only the Republic can lead to a real democracy where human rights are respected. ”
Another section proposes to deploy a “bold and multilateral international policy”, in which it proposes: “If you live outside the Catalan Countries, organize yourself in the republican collectives, such as the CDR, the ANC or the CUP outside to promote public actions that lead to the society, organizations and political forces of the country where you live, in favor of civil and political rights, against repression and in denouncing the authoritarianism of the Spanish State. ” This, together with the strengthening of the “popular movements, associationism, national and class syndicalism, would serve to activate ‘the Constituent Process'”.
Add comment