Catalan President: "We won't lose heart, whatever difficulties there are, however much repression there is, however much injustice there is"

Catalan president Carles Puigdemont said in a message to Reus people yesterday that he won't "give up" and that any difficulties will be overcome. He offered these words on Saturday in a message of gratitude to several Catalan pro-independence civil groups: the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Omnium Cultural, the Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), as well as other entities, in an event to reclaim rights in the city of Reus, where those present carried symbolic candles. Puigdemont gave a message of optimism on the return to the interrupted investiture debate, although he only spoke implicitly about what lies ahead.

"We won't lose heart, whatever difficulties there are, however much repression there is, however much injustice there is through having people in prison or in exile or threatened, they won't be able to put out those candles".


"I won't give up", he declared. "I know that there are difficulties, in any case there have been difficulties in the past and we have always overcome them. And we expect to be up to it", he said.

Puigdemont called on his audience to work for the project for a new country for everyone, without exceptions. "For the 7.5 million Catalans", he said. And he detailed that this has to be brought about "with words, with peace, with social harmony". "May I have you by my side for many years to come. Good night", he concluded.