Thousands rally to live fully in Catalan language in Majorca, València and Barcelona

One hundred people have claimed this Saturday, April 2, in Palma, the "right to live in Catalan." All in the framework of the mobilization organized by 17 entities. This was explained by Carles Cabrera, the Secretary of Linguistic Normalization of the STEI Intersindical, one of the 17 entities that joined the mobilization. In statements to the media, he stated that "this Saturday's rally, organized by Enllaçats per la Llengua, in all Catalan-speaking territories, aims to claim the normality of this language in the Balearic Islands in order to live fully in Catalan."

In Barcelona a crowd of thousands people rallied against the political agreement to reform the Language Policy Act. This is the agreement signed by PSOE, ERC, JxCat and En Comú Podem, which states that Spanish "is used in the terms set by the language projects of each center" and from which JxCat ended up being demarcated. The protest began in Plaça de Sant Jaume and advanced through the center of the Catalan capital to the gates of Parliament, in the Ciutadella park. A police cordon guarding the building was waiting for them there.

First there was a rally, convened by the platform Enllaçats per la Llengua under the slogan ‘Enough’ and demanding to live fully in Catalan. After the reading of the manifesto, the demonstration convened by USTEC, COS, Intersindical, the Federated Associations of Families and Students of Catalonia (aFFaC) and the Student Union of the Catalan Countries (SEPC) . Trade unions (USTEC-STEs, Intersindical, CGT and COS), students (SEPC), families (aFFaC), with the support of organizations (ANC, Omnium) and platforms in defense of the language (CAL, Platform for the Language), have promoted the demonstration this Saturday afternoon in the center of Barcelona in defense of the Catalan school model and against the political agreement signed by ERC, Junts, PSC and Comuns which they consider puts an end to language immersion.

In València, the mobilization had the support of Decidim, ACPV, STEPV, Plataforma per la llengua, Juga en Valencià, COS and Escola Valenciana and was joined by more than a hundred people.

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'Collabo Government' rally held in front of the HQ of the autonomous government

 

The Catalans for Independence formation, created by former members of the ANC leadership, dissatisfied with the mandate of Elisenda Paluzie, gathered a hundred people yesterday in front of the Palau de la Generalitat, in a rally led by the slogan “we will not vote us again ”. During the event, a manifesto was read in which the group declares that they feel cheated by the "15-M scammers", referring to the City Council, and by the "October 1 scammers , referring to the Generalitat (Catalan autonomous government). "We are not in rebellion, but we no longer recognize you, and that is why we will not vote for you again," they said, addressing the current pro-independence deputies. The formation, created in 2021, aims to "bring together pro-independence activists who are not willing to give up the October 1 mandate or wait for future generations to implement it."

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A dozen of ERC party headquarters defaced as Spanish collaborationists and "to betray independence"

The Committee for the Defense of the Republic - Direct Action has claimed that it has painted on the facade of several ERC headquarters, as well as some of Junts and the CUP in various localities, with the inscription "Consulate of Spain" to denounce the which considers the inaction of the parties in resuming the independence process. The CDR-Acció Directa has published on the web how the graffiti was done in various towns, such as Mollerussa, Alcarràs, Terrassa, Balaguer, Barcelona, ​​Rubí, Sant Cugat del Vallès and Vic. "If you continue to manage autonomy, you will face us. If you continue to betray independence, we will continue to point to yours. Today we made official what we all knew: new consulates in the territory ", they pointed out on the network. In a manifesto published a year ago, the CDR-Acció Directa criticized the action of the pro-independence parties, assuring that they were trying to "seek demobilization", and announced that it would take action in protest.

Meanwhile, pro-independence parties in addition to the PSC and the commons are now waiting to see if they will change the language policy law. If last Thursday the PSC, ERC, Junts i comuns convincingly presented an agreement to incorporate Spanish as a language for school use, today this agreement has the brakes on. The widespread rejection of civil society on Thursday evening led to Junts withdrawing from this agreement, while the other three groups called on those of Carles Puigdemont not to deviate from the consensus reached by more than 100 deputies. The amendment to the Language Policy Act was due to begin debating in the plenary next week, the groups said, but it has no date at the moment, although it is likely to be addressed in the plenary session of the April 28th.
for Taboola

This was explained by parliamentary sources after the Bureau and the Board of Spokespersons met this week. They say they have set the agenda for next week's plenary, which will only last two days because there are "few motions", and that this bill will not be addressed to change the rules. These sources have detailed that there is no date at the moment and that the decision not to put it in the next plenary session has been an agreement of the groups. In addition, the CUP has asked to unilaterally set its proposal to amend the LEC for next week’s plenary session, which calls for only Catalan to be recognized in schools, but the groups have rejected it.

On the other hand, ninety personalities have signed a manifesto against the controversial language agreement at school, arguing that “it cannot be approved because it constitutes a threatening setback for the future of the language in an area that is key to normalizing -the". A més, “la incorporació explícita de la vehicularitat del castellà en una llei catalana representaria un pas enrere que el català no es pot permetre en la situació de feblesa actual, accentuada entre la població més jove”, afegeix. Clara Ponsatí, Elisenda Paluzie, Quim Torra and Lluís Llach are some of the personalities who have supported the text released this week. The manifesto ‘Defensem l'escola en català’ explains that “this waiver, apart from being dangerous, would be sterile and gratuitous, and would not serve to respond to the judicial requirements of the TSJC ruling”. "We already know, as we have seen in the Valencian Country, that the courts, based on lawsuits from public and private bodies that have not stopped, would continue to attack the school in Catalan under any pretext," he recalls. Therefore, he insists that "the government cannot give in to the legal challenge that, without any pedagogical criteria, seeks to overthrow a model that promotes social cohesion and has the support of the vast majority of society." "In fact, it gave way when in 2020, in the negotiation of the Celaá Law with the government of Pedro Sánchez, it did not demand that the Spanish government withdraw the appeal that has ended up giving rise to this sentence," he said.

The CDR-AD was born on St. George's Day 2021. In a statement, the new group, called CDR Direct Action, explained that it includes the legacy of all those who have fought for independence, especially the courage of all those retaliated against. , to take a walk on the political stage from the street. "In this context, between the demobilization sought, the Offec of Spain and the so-empty and embarrassing words of Catalan parties we are born the Defense Committee of the Republic - Direct Action," says the statement.
 

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Amnesty International Report 2021/22 denounces that Spanish Human rights violations continue against Catalan national minority

Amnesty International Annual Report 2021/22 continues to denounce that Human rights violations in Spain continue, especially in Catalonia "Investigations into allegations of unlawful use of force by law enforcement officials during the Oct 2017 protests in Catalonia remained open". Catalan pro-independence grassroots leaders"spent almost four years in detention, following an unjust conviction on sedition charges in connection w/ peaceful protests and the 2017 referendum on Catalan independence". President in exile and MEPCarlesPuigdemont was arrested in Sardinia following illegal procedures by the Spanish judiciary, and subsequently released. Spain's GagLaw remains in effect 6 yrs after its implementation, despite promises of change by the current Spanish government. Human rights violations in Spain continue, and the heirs of Francoism keep their impunity in a so-called "democracy".

Link to the report

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The Council of Europe : the Spanish government has not complied with any of the 19 recommendations made to it for to improve the transparency or to prevent corruption

The Council of Europe suspends the Spanish state in the fight against corruption. This is stated in the report prepared by the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) and published today, in which it can be seen that the Spanish government has not complied with any of the nineteen recommendations made to it for to improve the transparency and functioning of the administration and to prevent its corruption.
GRECO points especially to the police and considers its progress in building an "ethical infrastructure" to be "disappointing". The text notes that the Civil Guard has made "some progress", but does not see any "concrete improvement" in the case of the National Police. On the political front, GRECO regrets that the state has not taken any steps to strengthen transparency in the case of advisers or to establish a strategy to mitigate the risks of corruption in the case of senior officials. In the same vein, he sees no progress in the recommendation to ensure that the Transparency and Good Governance Council has "adequate independence, authority and resources to function effectively."

The report notes that the state has also made no progress in establishing rules on the relationship between senior officials and lobbies, or in recommending the expansion of public information on the assets of senior officials, or in overseeing possible conflicts. of interest.

With regard to gauging, GRECO regrets that the recommendation to amend this "special process" has not been implemented so as not to "obstruct" the proceedings in cases of high-ranking officials accused of corruption.

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Catalan Victory over the Spanish army in the Battle of Montjuïc Honoured

The Colonela(La Coronela) honoured the Catalan Soldier Day, celebrated every year on January 26 in recovering from the Catalan Victory on the Spanish Army in the Battle of Montjuïc, in 1641 and the Mechanical and Patriot Martí Martí and Bardella, buttered Spanish colonial police on January 26, 1979 and ending on January 29, 1979. In the Battle of Montjuïc 6,000 Catalans defeated a 23,000 strong Spanish army at the Barcelona's doors.

La Coronela focused the event on the Baluard de Santa Madrona on the 381st anniversary of the Battle of Montjuïc in which 6,000 Catalans defeated 23,000 Spaniards. But the Pyrenean Regiment, made up of Catalan pro-independence activists during the war from 1936 to 1939, was also honored. Apart from the public force, the councilor of Barcelona de Junts per Catalunya, Jordi Martí, took part in the event.


La Coronela is the name of the armed force of the town of Barcelona, and its objective was to defend the city during the War of the Spanish Occupaton. It was formed, in great part, by craftsmen and organized under the commandment of the Conseller en cap (Head councillor, in Catalan) of the Consell de Cent of Barcelona. It played a crucial role in the defense of the city against the pro Spanis Bourbonic troops (also called Philippists or Botiflers) from 1710 to 1714.

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The Assembly of Representatives of the Council for the Republic constituted with 121 seats

 

The constituent session of the Assembly of Representatives was held this Sunday, November 14, after the elections were held on October 29, 30 and 31. The Plenary Session was held in Canet de Rosselló, in northern Catalonia. The constituent session of the Assembly of Representatives was held this Sunday, November 14, after the elections were held on October 29, 30 and 31. The Plenary Session was held in Canet de Rosselló, in Northern Catalonia.

The Assembly of Representatives has 121 seats: 81 for the candidacies of citizens, distributed in veguerias and districts and 40 seats of elected positions of the Principality with a single constituency.

First, the old table was set up to start the Plenary Session. Once Jordi Domingo, President of the Electoral Syndicate, read the names of the two youngest people in the Plenary Session and the oldest, who chaired the first part. of the session, Blanca Serra.

The Plenary Session voted and approved Decree 2/2001 and subsequently voted the members of the final Board, it was possible to present any of the 121 elected representatives and this was the result:

    President: Ona Curto, councilor of the CUP in Arenys de Mar.
    First Vice President: Maria Costa Baqué, Mayor of the town of Banys d’Arles in northern Catalonia.
    Second Vice President: Jordi Pessarrodona, former ERC councilor in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada and of the Independentistas d’Esquerres.
    First Secretary: Joan Puig, historical militant of ERC and member of the current First of October.
    Second Secretary: Assumpció Lailla, Member of the Democrats.

The Plenary Session concluded with the approval of Decree 3/2021 on the constitution of the Commissions, which provides for a minimum of 7.

Speeches highlighted in order of intervention:

Blanca Serra Puig, President of the Age Board:

"The solution lies with us. We have the answer to the onslaught: active resistance. A resistance that is not questioned, that does not back down and knows how to generate and take advantage of any opportunity to advance on the path to freedom. Let's get ready, let's get up, let's mobilize. Moral of victory! ”

Carles Puigdemont, Acting Chairman of the Board:

“I want to encourage you. We need you so much. So far, we’ve taken the 2017 testimonial. It’s about taking that legacy and pushing it. This is a struggle that comes from afar and will go a long way. On behalf of the Council, I would like to thank you for your honorable support, for the deep pride I feel in being the first representatives of the Assembly of Representatives that has milled into democratic forms, which will no doubt be the ones that democratic society will have to take. L’estat català tindrà una radicalitat democràtica que no serà un calc de la mal anomenada democràcia espanyola”.

Toni Comín, Acting Vice-President of the Board

“The Council is the first institution in the country of voluntary affiliation that brings together more people in the whole of the Catalan Countries. I would also like to congratulate the small technical team of the Council for the success of this constituent session. Those of you who have been elected representatives have the right and the duty to feel protagonists in the process that will allow us to reach the end and make the Republic ”.

Ona Curto, President of the Assembly of Representatives

"The Council must be another tool to achieve independence, we must legitimize it and make it useful, as it is currently the Republican tool that presents more strategy and points of content. It is important that the political movement I represent is there and we occupy this space. We must give a voice to plurality, transversality and feminism so that the Council does not have a single voice ”.

The # AR2021 has also launched today the following website: https://assemblearepresentants.cat/has 121 seats: 81 for the candidacies of citizens, distributed in veguerias and districts and 40 seats of elected positions of the Principality with a single constituency.

First, the old table was set up to start the Plenary Session. Once Jordi Domingo, President of the Electoral Syndicate, read the names of the two youngest people in the Plenary Session and the oldest, who chaired the first part. of the session, Blanca Serra.

The Plenary Session voted and approved Decree 2/2001 and subsequently voted the members of the final Board, it was possible to present any of the 121 elected representatives and this was the result:

President: Ona Curto, councilor of the CUP in Arenys de Mar.
First Vice President: Maria Costa Baqué, Mayor of the town of Banys d’Arles in northern Catalonia.
Second Vice President: Jordi Pessarrodona, former ERC councilor in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada and of the Independentistas d’Esquerres.
First Secretary: Joan Puig, historical militant of ERC and member of the current First of October.
Second Secretary: Assumpció Lailla, Member of the Democrats.

The Plenary Session concluded with the approval of Decree 3/2021 on the constitution of the Commissions, which provides for a minimum of 7.

Speeches highlighted in order of intervention:

Blanca Serra Puig, President of the Age Board:

"The solution lies with us. We have the answer to the onslaught: active resistance. A resistance that is not questioned, that does not back down and knows how to generate and take advantage of any opportunity to advance on the path to freedom. Let's get ready, let's get up, let's mobilize. Moral of victory! ”

Carles Puigdemont, Acting Chairman of the Board:

“I want to encourage you. We need you so much. So far, we’ve taken the 2017 testimonial. It’s about taking that legacy and pushing it. This is a struggle that comes from afar and will go a long way. On behalf of the Council, I would like to thank you for your honorable support, for the deep pride I feel in being the first representatives of the Assembly of Representatives that has milled into democratic forms, which will no doubt be the ones that democratic society will have to take. L’estat català tindrà una radicalitat democràtica que no serà un calc de la mal anomenada democràcia espanyola”.

Toni Comín, Acting Vice-President of the Board

“The Council is the first institution in the country of voluntary affiliation that brings together more people in the whole of the Catalan Countries. I would also like to congratulate the small technical team of the Council for the success of this constituent session. Those of you who have been elected representatives have the right and the duty to feel protagonists in the process that will allow us to reach the end and make the Republic ”.

Ona Curto, President of the Assembly of Representatives

"The Council must be another tool to achieve independence, we must legitimize it and make it useful, as it is currently the Republican tool that presents more strategy and points of content. It is important that the political movement I represent is there and we occupy this space. We must give a voice to plurality, transversality and feminism so that the Council does not have a single voice ”.

The # AR2021 has also launched today the following website: https://assemblearepresentants.cat/

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Wave of attacks against Spanish paraphernalia assumed by the new Catalan resistance group Action for Independence

 

Five attacks in five days. So far iver acts of sabotage have been carried out in a short space of time. Acció per la Independència (Action for Independence) began its offensive on July 18, the date of the beginning of the Spanish Fascist uprising in 1936. The organization sabotaged the crypt of Montserrat Mountain dedicated to the Spanish Francoists and destroyed Franco's symbols by breaking into the crypt of the requetès de Montserrat and the Francoist emblems that were there. Almost simultaneously, the next day, a monolith located in Albons (Baix Empordà) was destroyed in homage to his fallen “For God and Spain”, with the emblem of the 'Brotherhood of Captives for Spain', related to the Phalange Fascist party. In a third action on July 20, a similar monolith was also destroyed in Canet d'Adri (Gironès).

The organization, which was set up on April 23, said that this is the only way to "decide with full freedom the political, social and cultural changes that allow Catalonia to move to an advanced society." The group, which has already advanced that its sabotage campaign continues, has no visible faces and in fact claims to be an anonymous, transversal and unitary organization.

The fourth action of the pro-independence group Acció per la Independència, has been tonight in Santa Maria del Collell (Sant Ferriol, La Garrotxa). The group destroyed a monumental complex dedicated to 48 Falangist prisoners executed in January 1939 on Wednesday morning. The monument, made up of a cross and a monolith, was destroyed. Pro-independence activists have dropped both items, smashed commemorative plaques and even finished it off with a drill. Simultaneously another squad has destroyed a monolith of exaltation of the Spanish Franco regime in Avignon (Bages) also tonight.

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Audios show that the Spanish police tortured Basque citizens to death: "we made them dig holes before killing them"

Evidence of torture to death by the state when it was ruled by the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Party nowadays ruling force) appeared yesterday. Yesterday they were referring to Mikel Zabaltza. The Spanish Luis Alberto Perote, former colonel of the Superior Center of Defense Information (CSID), and Pedro Gómez Nieto, captain of the Civil Guard, in the audio talk about how Felipe González, then president of the PSOE and the government, was informed of the torture. About Zabaltza the death "was during the interrogation. Possibly a cardiac arrest due to the bag on his head. This is my impression. They made a lot of mistakes. They interrogated him and had his relatives in the next room."

About Joxean Lasa and Joxi Zabala, who were kidnapped, tortured and killed by the LAG in 1983, Gómez Nieto, captain of the Civil Guard, relates that they were forced to dig their grave before being executed with a shot to the head Two years later, their bodies were discovered by a hunter in a pit in Busot, although they could not be identified until 1995, as they had been hung with quicklime.

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Pro independence parties rise from 47,5 % to 51,14 % and from 70 to 74 MPs

The pro-independence parties have won more than 50% of the vote in elections in Catalonia for the first time. The sum of ERC, JxCat, CUP, PDeCAT, Primary and FNC has been imposed on a total of 837 of the 947 Catalan municipalities. This is a higher figure than in 2017, when the pro-independence formations that presented themselves achieved this in 815 municipalities.

The turnout goes down from 79,09 % to 53,54 % amisdt the pandemics. Pro independence parties go down a 30 % but the pro Spanish go down a 40 % in spite of the rise of Vox, a new Fascist party which bursts in with a 7,7 %. The Catalan Independence front goes from 47.5% to 51.14% thanks to the decrease in participation that most strongly affects Spanish nationalism. Despite the advances it loses 630,000 votes. mainly due to the decline in ERC (-35%). JxCat and PDeCAT also collect 32% less votes than in 2017 and the CUP is down 3%. The Spanish forces lose 40% of the vote (the independence setback is 30%). C'anos falls 85%, PP 41% and Comuns 40%. All this makes it easier for Spanish nationalism to go from 65 to 61 seats, while the independence frontgoes from 70 to 74 MPs.

Although the three pro-independence forces of 2017 went from 2,079,000 votes to 1,360,696 and, as a percentage, only grew from 47.5% to 48.01, the presentation of other lists allows it to grow to 51.14% :

ERC 21.30% 33 MPs

JxCat 20.04% 32 MPs

CUP 6.67% 9 MPs

PDeCAT 2.72%

Primary 0.21%

FNC 0.18%

SCat 0.01%

MCR 0.01%

Overall, 1,448,901 people voted for pro-independence forces and 1,347,103 for Spaniards in the absence of a foreign vote.

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Catalan Patriots display a huge 'Donec Perficiam' (Until We Prevail) black flag in Vic

 

The new organization Catalonians for independence, unfurled a giant black flag in Vic (Osona) on Sunday 24 January. The action had the support of Volunteers for the Republic and the Committees in Defense of the Republic of the West, Vic, Ter, Anoia and Penedès.
"This flag with the cross of Santa Eulàlia spread today here in the square is an example of a shared struggle, in this case with Catalans for the Independence of Cardona, Motards Independentistes and other local and territorial CDRs."

The Catalan black flag or of Donec Perficiam (until successful, motto of the Catalan royal guards in the 18th century) was designed by the Reeixida foundation in 2008 and means "non-surrender". This meaning comes from its historical contrast to the white flag, a symbol of surrender. The flag commemorates the tricentenary of the War of the Spanish Succession. During the siege of Barcelona in 1714, black flags were hoisted in the city of Barcelona as a symbol of resistance. It was not until July 2014 that it was redesigned, a white star and the cross of Santa Eulàlia, patron saint of Barcelona, ​​were added.

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Seven Catalan pro independence lists achieve to run the next elections

Apart from the parties that did not need to collect guarantees, such as the centrist PDeCat, far left CUP and leftist ERC, several formations have tried to get them. Força Catalunya and the Bloc Sobiranista Català, which had closed a coalition, did not succeed. Neither ARA (Assembly of Retaliators and Activists) and Corrent Roig, although they will be able to appear in the constituency of Tarragona under the name of the Trotskyist party. Also Trotskyist Lluita Internacionalista (which calls for a critical vote for the CUP) and CRT have criticized the position of Corrent Roig to promote its own list. Neither Anticapitalists nor the Revolutionary Left have clarified their position.

Together for Catalonia (JxCAT) obtained 52,000 endorsements, the Front Nacional de Catalunya (with the support of Renaixença and Via Única) 7,500 and Primàries Catalunya 7,060. All three formations will be presented in all four constituencies. the tweeter Laura Ormella heads the list of Primary, The president of the Catalan Business Circle, Albert Pont, of Via Única will lead the list of the FNC, and Laura Borràs, former Minister of Culture, Junts. The last one has the support of 8 parties: Regrouping, Independentistas d'Esquerres, Moviment d'Esquerres, Demòcrates de Catalunya, Estat Català, Solidaritat Catalana per la Independència, Acció per la República and Alternativa Verda-Els Verds. The CUP has closed an agreement with Guanyem criticized by Endavant (OSAN) and Lluita Internacionalista.

Therefore in the elections of the Principality there will be

1. ARA-Corrent Roig (only in Tarragona)

2. CUP

3. ERC

4. FNC

5. Together

6. PDeCAT

7. Primary

Apart from these, there are also various formations defending the right to self-determination such as the Catalan Nationalist Party (split from the PDeCAT), the Communist Party of the People of Catalonia, the Communist Party of Workers of Catalonia (a split split from the previous one). ).

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On this day was born the Admiral of the Catalan Army Roger de Llúria who was never been equaled, not even by Horatio Nelson

Roger de Llúria (17.1.1250-19.1,1305), was Catalan Admiral from Italian origin. The term “admiral” was used for the first time by King Roger II, in its Latin form “amiratus amiratorum” in 1133, to designate his adviser George of Antioch as the “commander of commanders”, a role that can be considered as analogous to the modern “prime minister”. At that time the honorific was not related to the command of the naval fleet. Indeed, only in 1177 was this title, given by William II of Sicily to Walter of Moac, related to the command of the royal fleet. Since then, many people have had the honor of receiving this title, but of them Roger of Lauria has always been considered as the most valiant and important admiral of Middle Ages.

The life of Roger of Llúria, whose invincibility, with over twenty years of naval combat activity and no defeats at sea (the only one was the Battle of Catanzaro in 1297, due to the inadequacy of the Angevins), has never been equaled, not even by the great Horatio Nelson. Despite his victories and the efficiency of his naval strategies, Roger of Lauria’s fame hasn’t reached further because, according to John Pryor, many medievalists were more interested to the Hundred Years War.

Roger’s origins are not clear. His surname is perhaps related to Lauria, a small town in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata, where there are still the ruins of the fortress belonging to his family, but the historian Ramon Muntaner, who personally knew him, refers to Roger of Lauria as a Calabrian, probably from Scalea. The same halo of mystery regards the origin of Roger’s father, while his mother is identified as Donna Bella (“Lady Bella”), who was the nursemaid of Constance II of Sicily, Manfred’s daughter, and through which was related to the Hohenstaufen family.

In 1262 Roger moved to the court of Aragon with his mother and Constance II, the future Queen of Aragon, who was married to Peter of Aragon, the son of James I the Conqueror. Since then, his life has been always linked with the fate or Aragon and later of Sicily, where he made his strategic genius available for the protection of the island.

Roger’s military activity started in the late 1260s, and after having repressed the Saracen rebellion in Valencia he was appointed admiral of the royal fleet in 1278. After the death of James I of Aragon, the expansionist aims of his son, Peter III of Aragon, were directed to the conquest of Sicily, that was assigned to Charles I of Anjou by the Holy See after the death of Conrad I, the eldest son of the Emperor Fredrick II.

Both Roger and Peter’s life were strictly connected to the fate of the Regno (Southern Italy and Sicily). The first according to the tradition lost his father, Richard (who would have been at King’s Manfred side at the final moments of his life), at the Battle of Benevento in 1266. The second was betrothed to Constance, Manfred’s daughter and heir of the Regno.

The insurrection that triggered the War of Sicilian Vespers occurred in Palermo in 1282 and was the perfect opportunity for Peter to establish the influence of the Aragon Kingdom over Sicily, historically considered as the most strategic point in the Mediterranean Sea.

The role of Roger of Lauria was to establish the supremacy of the Catalan-Sicilian fleet over the Angevins, due to his incredible strategic ability and to the quality of his fleet, compound by almugavars (devastators in Arabic) and by the Catalans crossbowmen, considered the most feared in all Europe.

The first opportunity for Roger to show his qualities, after having been appointed Admiral of the Kingdom of Catalonia, Valencia and Sicily in 1283, was the Battle of Malta on the 8^th of June. The strategic intelligence of Roger of Lauria allowed his fleet, that consisted of less vessels than the flotilla commanded by Prince Charles of Salerno, to block the Angevin ships at the Grand Harbour in Malta. A peculiar strategy adopted by Roger was to bridle his vessels together in an open alignment, using iron cables, called flanella.

After the defeat of the Angevins in Malta, the fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria was able to inflict other sound defeats on the Angevins, drastically reducing their aspiration of dominating the Southern Italy.

The first of these victories was the Battle of Naples in 1284 and that allowed the Aragonese to take as hostage Charles the Lame (the Prince of Salerno), the son of Charles of Anjou. The use of iron cables to bridle the Aragonese ships was fundamental also in this battle to catch a big part of the Angevin fleet. In this battle, Roger of Lauria turned the fact of having less vessels than the Angevin flotilla to his advantage. Roger understood that the confusion of the battle could compromise the communication between his ships and that the only solution “… was a well-devised but simple battle plan, easily executed in the heat of the combat”.

Roger’s assaults on Nicotera and on the cities of both Tyrrhenian and Ionian Calabria, contributed to distract Charles of Anjou from attempting to invade Sicily, and consequently, the defeat inflicted on the French fleet at Les Formigues in 1285 made Roger of Lauria the most feared admiral by the enemies of the Kingdom of Aragon.

After the death of Peter III of Aragon, Roger of Lauria found himself to serving two masters: King Alfonso, heir to the crown, and James, appointed King of Sicily. Roger of Lauria showed again his strength at the Battle of the Counts, fought in the Gulf of Naples in 1287.

After James I agreed in 1295 to the Treaty of Anagni, that provided the concession of Sicily to the Angevins in change of their renunciation to invade the Kingdom of Aragon, the position of Roger of Lauria became more problematic, and between the loyalty to the King James I and the link with Sicily, he chose to stay at the side of Frederick of Sicily in order to defend the island from Charles of Artois.

The relationship between Frederick of Sicily and Roger soon showed signs of strain and after two years Roger of Lauria found himself to fight on the side of the Aragonese-Angevin army against the Sicilians, defeating their fleet at Capo D’Orlando, which was followed by the Angevin’s defeats at the Battle of Falconaria, near Trapani in 1299, and at the Battle of Gagliano in 1300. The Battle of Ponza represented Roger’s last victory, before the Treaty of Caltabellotta ended the War of the Sicilian Vespers in 1302.

To know more:

Roger of Lauria (c.1250-1305): "Admiral of Admirals"

Up monument to Roger de Llúria i Tarragona, Down: the same in Barcelona

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Catalan exiled activist Adrià Carrasco cleared of all charges returns to Catalonia

 Two and a half years after leaving Catalonia for Belgium following terrorism accusations, the activist Adrià Carrasco has returned after being cleared of all charges for taking part in pro-independence protest actions. As a member of the Committees in Defense of the Republic (CDR), a decentralized network of pro-independence protest groups, Carrasco was prosecuted for blocking highways and sabotaging toll booths in the spring of 2018.

He was accused of terrorism, rebellion, and sedition; some of the most serious offenses in Spain’s criminal code, carrying decades-long prison sentences. Carrasco’s house was raided by Spain’s Guardia Civil police on 10 April 2018 but he managed to escape through the window and fled to Brussels, where several pro-independence leaders had previously exiled alleging political persecution in Spain.

Originally prosecuted by Spain’s National Court in Madrid, Carrasco saw his case subsequently transferred to lower courts as the terrorism charges and the most serious accusations were dropped. Still, he had been wary of returning before all criminal charges were fully dismissed.

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Spain loses an important judiciary battle: Belgium refuses to extradite to Spain the Catalan Exiled Minister Lluís Puig

 The Belgian justice system has once again refused to extradite the former Catalan Minister of Culture, Lluís Puig. The Belgian court of appeal has refused the European arrest warrant after the court of first instance in Brussels did so last August. Belgian prosecutors accepted Lluís Puig decision, ending Spain's extradition quest, on January 8th.

Puig is subject to a European arrest warrant for misappropriation of public funds in connection with the October 2017 referendum. "No more ideological persecution and no more repression. The fight for freedom continues everywhere," the former Minister said.

The Catalan politician had already appeared before the Court of Appeal for this case last December in a hearing that lasted about four hours. At the time he was optimistic about his chances, aware that the Belgian justice system had already proved him right once. The August ruling was the first to be handed down by a Belgian court on the Euro-orders of Catalan politicians. In that case the judge considered that the Supreme Court was not competent to send the euro warrant and therefore refused extradition.

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Fascist attack against Catalan independentists who were collecting signatures to be able to run in the elections

 

"Today (December 29) a group of 10 ultras attacked and threw objects at us while we were collecting signatures in front of the City of Molins de Rei in a family atmosphere. This after Arran and supporters tweeted threats. The Fascists are you we do not have fear and you will not pass. No passaran. "said Bernat Basany, one of the militants victims of the fascist attack.

The National Front of Catalonia (FNC) is collecting signatures to be able to run in the elections as do Primaries, ARA or Together for Catalonia. Violently attacking a political opponent to prevent him from running in an election, otherwise you can ban them, is the first point of any fascist manual. The day before the attack, Arran de Mataró issued a "first warning" to the FNC, which was collecting signatures in the capital of the Maresme. On the same day, the FNC had been deployed in Girona, Solsona, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Granollers, Mataró and Molins de Rei in order to achieve the difficult goal of 6,000 signatures.

The FNC, a supporter of Daniel Cardona’s unilateral path and nationalism ‘Vibrant’ inspired by the Irish Republican movement, in its decalogue explicitly opposes any discrimination on the grounds of origin, belief, gender or sexual orientation.

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