Now is time for democracy
Today, the National Day of Catalonia, we will live through a new
historic day of citizen mobilisation to demand our right to decide.
Thousands of Catalans will express our firm will to go to the polls on
the coming November the 9th via a huge human mosaic in the
heart of Barcelona. A unique and spectacular image that will display to
the world our determination to vote.
For another year we will be beside our relatives, friends and
neighbours; children, young people, adults and elders together. We will
share positive emotions and good spirits, because everyone who is
involved will be making their mark on the design of the future. Catalans
with very different geographical origins, social conditions and
political orientations will be brought together in a convergence of will
that provokes the admiration of observers.
Far from stereotypes and divisions, we will be a unity, which is also
replicated at the Catalan Parliament as two thirds of the chamber
supports the future Law on Consultation Votes. The desire to decide on
the political future is very strong, cross-cutting, peaceful and
inclusive. According to opinion polls, eight out of ten Catalans want to
vote on November the 9th.
The 10th of July 2010 was the beginning of this path.
Years ago we left the protests behind in order to define the proposal
together. Catalonia's political and social majority supports the 9th
of November consultation vote, convinced that political dilemmas should
be solved democratically. There are many of us who have built a civic
movement of exceptional dimensions. In the two months running up to the 9th
of November, we are in front of a historic crossroad and we reaffirm
that we, as European citizens, will decide our future. Like the Scots
will do on September the 18th.
2014 is, in fact, a very special year in our collective memory. We
commemorate the 300 years of our defeat in the War of Succession. It was
exactly on the 11th of September 1714 when the city of
Barcelona fell to Felipe V, after it resisted the unthinkable. Now, 300
years later, we are the consequence of this mix of the past and the
present. And together we will steer ourselves towards a better future
without exclusions, with everyone who lives and works in Catalonia.
The self-determination process is a two-way movement. Is is a group
of people seeking a common goal and a reflection of social
transformation, because everybody wants to achieve profound changes in
the political and social structures, in order to change a Catalonia that
suffers a harsh and unfair reality, not only because of the economic
crisis. The mobilisation of today will also show that thousands of
people remain active and engaged in making this change in order to
decide the future of their country.
The defenders of Catalonia's independence want to build a new
European state. However, now we find ourselves in a previous stage.
Since we, the pro-independence supporters, believe in democracy, on the 9th
of November everybody has to express themselves through the ballot
boxes on what future they want for Catalonia, both those voting 'yes'
and those who oppose independence. Because it is through a consultation
vote that we will be able to know whether there really is a majority of
Catalans who want to freely walk their own way, with a friendly attitude
towards Spain as their neighbour. Just as the Czech Republic and
Slovakia are doing, for instance.
All the people who are going to be in Barcelona today, physically or
in spirit – since many people will not be able to come for health, work
or personal reasons- are united by the desire to build a better country.
We are aware that we have a great amount of work ahead and that what we
have in mind is not an easy task; challenges are manifold and complex.
However, we are fully convinced that we want to face them with
contrasting arguments within the framework of a democratic debate,
rejecting arguments based on fear and fake promises. The law cannot be
indefinitely imposed on democratic legitimacy.
Today we will fill the streets because we want to fill the ballot boxes on the 9th of November. Because the time for full democracy has come for us Catalans.
by Muriel Casals
President of Òmnium Cultural, a civil society association promoting
Catalan culture and language. Òmnium Cultural is one of the organisers
of the massive pro-independence rally on the 11th of September and has 42,000 members.
