Catalonia will soon celebrate another vibrant National Day. The Catalan Way (Via Catalana) has finally awoken a massive sympathetic reaction. Catalan people’s enthusiasm will make it a historic milestone that will push politicians to fix a date for a self determination referendum and will oblige them to fix the final question too. As for the answer, most of us have it ready from long ago: independence. We will choose to become again a free country, a new modern state within Europe.
We do not want nor will accept that Spain -hypothetically a federative state but in fact a heir of the ancient Franco-ist regime- bring us again to the brink of economic failure. We do not want to be submitted anymore to the Spanish radial centralist unefficiency. And we will not tolerate any longer the Spanish politics openly seeking the dissolution of the Catalan language. They will never understand what common sense dictates: the language of any given territory must be always the first one in its educational system and everywhere else. Since long ago their aim has always been the same one: Catalonia’s assimilation. We Catalans have the opposite one: to recover our historical rights and national freedom as to fully guarantee the survival of our nation.
300 years ago, in that “infamous summer” of the year 1713 (as the author of Victus names it) the Borbonic army, composed by large Spanish and French troops, had already started the siege against Barcelona. A siege which lasted for thirteen months of continuous attacks and heroic resistance. It is not true, therefore, what so many would like us to believe: that we Catalans are pleased to celebrate and recall a defeat. We are not such a stupid people. Those who say so have never understood the real meaning of our National Day. We honour the heroic bravery and fighting of a nation and we also renew, year after year, our collective commitment of recovering national freedom. The same freedom for which so many Catalans did die, freedom that was stolen from us on that ominous 11th September 1714 by the hands of an occupant army. Commemorating the Diada is not defeatism at all, but it is just the opposite thing: it is a strong eagerness of having a well deserved revenge. By this time, fortunately enough, it must be a peaceful and a truly democratic one, of course. But it will be a very nice revenge, anyway.
The best evidence of all is that 300 years later we are still here ready to fight a democratic battle to conquer again our national freedom. And this time, if we all sum up and fight together, the battle will bring us the final long wished victory.
For Catalonia and the Catalan Nation,
For our political freedom,
For the survival of the Catalan culture and language,
For the civil and social rights of all Catalan citizens, men and women alike,
Up with Free Catalonia!
Joan Torres, Olot
We do not want nor will accept that Spain -hypothetically a federative state but in fact a heir of the ancient Franco-ist regime- bring us again to the brink of economic failure. We do not want to be submitted anymore to the Spanish radial centralist unefficiency. And we will not tolerate any longer the Spanish politics openly seeking the dissolution of the Catalan language. They will never understand what common sense dictates: the language of any given territory must be always the first one in its educational system and everywhere else. Since long ago their aim has always been the same one: Catalonia’s assimilation. We Catalans have the opposite one: to recover our historical rights and national freedom as to fully guarantee the survival of our nation.
300 years ago, in that “infamous summer” of the year 1713 (as the author of Victus names it) the Borbonic army, composed by large Spanish and French troops, had already started the siege against Barcelona. A siege which lasted for thirteen months of continuous attacks and heroic resistance. It is not true, therefore, what so many would like us to believe: that we Catalans are pleased to celebrate and recall a defeat. We are not such a stupid people. Those who say so have never understood the real meaning of our National Day. We honour the heroic bravery and fighting of a nation and we also renew, year after year, our collective commitment of recovering national freedom. The same freedom for which so many Catalans did die, freedom that was stolen from us on that ominous 11th September 1714 by the hands of an occupant army. Commemorating the Diada is not defeatism at all, but it is just the opposite thing: it is a strong eagerness of having a well deserved revenge. By this time, fortunately enough, it must be a peaceful and a truly democratic one, of course. But it will be a very nice revenge, anyway.
The best evidence of all is that 300 years later we are still here ready to fight a democratic battle to conquer again our national freedom. And this time, if we all sum up and fight together, the battle will bring us the final long wished victory.
For Catalonia and the Catalan Nation,
For our political freedom,
For the survival of the Catalan culture and language,
For the civil and social rights of all Catalan citizens, men and women alike,
Up with Free Catalonia!
Joan Torres, Olot
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