Neither a parliamentary majority nor strength in the streets. The independence movement confirmed its crisis today. What has been one of its driving forces for a decade, the massive mobilization of its bases, has shown flu symptoms. Faced with the progressive loss of support during the elections and demonstrations, the sovereignist entities have called on the entire movement to rebuild its unity. “Stop healing our wounds,” demanded the leader of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Lluís Llach.
60,000 people attended the demonstration in Barcelona, according to the Urban Guard of the Catalan capital. In the other four cities (Tarragona, Lleida, Girona and Tortosa) where demonstrations were called, the largest participation was recorded in the capital Girona, with 6,000 people. All the marches took place in a civic and festive atmosphere.
After the loss of the pro-independence majority in Parliament that opened the doors of the Generalitat to Salvador Illa, ending fourteen years of sovereignist governments, the civil pro-independence movement focused its efforts on trying to stitch the movement back together.
After years without jointly organizing the Diada march, Òmnium Cultural and the ANC, along with six other entities, wanted to set an example and agreed on a united manifesto. “Today we show that it is possible to reach agreements on the things that really matter,” Llach said, followed by shouts of “unity, unity” among the participants.
The manifesto itself showed that the independence movement still has work to do before it rearms. In the section read by Òmnium president Xavier Antich, the pro-independence political parties were openly criticized for their “inability to agree on a strategy that makes self-determination effective.” “They have squandered majorities in petty discussions and their permanent struggle has given rise to a Generalitat that bows to the king,” Antich added.
After the controversy of the eve of the Diada, when Lluís Llach did not reject the presence of Aliança Catalana voters at the demonstration, the joint manifesto censored “hate speech and anti-politics”, which, according to the organizers, “must be fought” because they endanger social cohesion.
Half an hour before 4pm, Ramon and Anna, a retired couple from Barcelona’s Horta district, were rushing to cross the Ronda Sant Pere, near the Rafael Casanova monument that still had all the morning’s floral offerings on display. “We thought it would be like usual, at 5:14pm, but this year they brought the ‘mani’ forward,” the man said as he headed towards the Pla de Palau.
This year, the pro-independence entities have brought forward the call to demonstrate by one hour and have organised a decentralised march in five cities: Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida, Girona and Tortosa. The five locations seek to avoid a single image of wear and tear in the influx towards the sovereignist concentration (and, incidentally, complicate the comparison of the figures with last year, when the only call was that of the Catalan capital).
With this exception, the official figure of 60,000 people provided by the Barcelona Urban Guard, in what was the largest march, confirmed the decrease in the number of demonstrators. In 2023, there were 115,000 people, and in 2022, 150,000. In any case, if we add the official figures of the five cities, they reach 70,000 demonstrators.
“It’s a bit sad to think that a few years ago, all of Barcelona was already full an hour before the start of the demonstration, but the repression has done us a lot of damage,” Anna said before the start of the demonstration. “And thank God it’s Wednesday and there’s no long weekend,” her husband added.
Ton, Míriam, Santi, Josep and Mercè, a group of middle-aged friends who came from Manresa to the capital, shared their disappointment with the political parties. “I don’t like the way they did it, none of them, but the important thing is that they see that people continue to take to the streets,” said the first. Mercè added and directed her criticism: “Especially the ERC, which made a party of 155 presidents.”
At the party level, the ERC wanted to avoid the boos that its leaders received in the past for September 11 and neither Oriol Junqueras nor Marta Rovira attended the march. The representatives of the Republicans were the deputy general secretaries Marta Vilalta and Juli Fernàndez.
ERC, Junts and the CUP arrive at the Diada in full preparation for their congresses that will renew their programs (not necessarily their leaderships, especially in the case of the first two). The Republicans have opened their doors following the crisis due to the false flag war of Maragall’s denigrating posters and the war between Oriol Junqueras and Marta Rovira is total.
Before participating in the march, Vilalta, during a popular meal organized by the party, urged the militants to overcome the “complicated moments” that the party is going through and to overcome internal differences. “We cannot forget who we are, it is the light and the key,” implored the leader, who showed understanding for the “disappointment and anger” that her bases may feel.
“The independence movement is going through a difficult time,” said Junts Secretary General Jordi Turull. In the midst of an operation to take advantage of the ERC’s internal crisis and consolidate its hegemony in the independence movement, Turull attacked the Republicans: “It is difficult to understand how anyone could believe that independence will be achieved by handing over the key to Catalan institutions.”
Unlike ERC, in Junts, no one is discussing the leadership of Carles Puigdemont, who will have to decide whether to formally preside over the party and oust Laura Borràs or appoint a trusted person. Turull called on the Junts congress in October to draw up “a new roadmap with deadlines” for independence. For a second, the ghost of the failed 18 months in which the independence movement had promised secession in 2015 almost appears, as the streets were filled with people. la Diada.
