Catalan News Agency - 500,000 signatures in favor of coming to an agreement about a referendum on Catalonia’s independence
500,000 signatures in favor of coming to an agreement about a referendum on Catalonia’s independence
ACN
Barcelona (ACN).- The National Pact for a Referendum
(PNR) has gathered 500,000 signatures from institutions, organizations,
elected representatives, and private individuals, both within and
outside of the country, in coming to agreement with the Spanish
Government over holding a referendum on Catalonia’s independence. The
PNR spokesman, Joan Ignasi Elena, described this “substantial” support
as a “democratic revolution” which proves that also “those who want to
vote ‘no’ to Catalonia’s independence” are urging the Spanish executive
to negotiate and hold the vote. In this vein, he called for the Spanish
government “to open a dialogue” because “being in denial doesn’t change
the reality”; on the contrary, it puts them in a “ridiculous” position.
“We have this huge patrimony on our hands and it doesn’t belong to
anybody but to all those who are here today, and to the whole of the
Catalans. Let’s take care of it and let’s use this collective wish,”
said Elena before the 3,000 people who attended the PNR event. Elena
also praised the political centrality of those who support the
referendum, which he described as a “demand from the majority”. “We are
a nation because that’s what a vast majority of Catalans feel,” said
Elena.
The campaign was launched at the end of February and received support
from a wide range of political parties, civil society associations,
cultural institutions, trade unions, business associations, and sports
clubs. Indeed, one of the most recent to adhere was FC Barcelona.
Besides the Catalan President and the whole of the Catalan executive,
many political leaders from within and outside Catalonia have joined
the cause. The co-president of the Greens-European Free Alliance
(Greens-EFA), Ska Keller was amongst them, together with Spanish
alternative left ‘Podemos’ Secretary General, Pablo Iglesias, or
Barcelona Mayor, Ada Colau, to name a few.
Cross-party alliance
The National Pact for a Referendum was officially created on December
23rd, on the basis of a proposal made by the Parliament and with the
support of the Catalan Government. Itbrings together more than 3,000
civil society, business, cultural, sports and political organizations,
besides those political parties which support Catalonia’s right to
decide; that is to say governing coalition Junts Pel Sí, left wing
pro-independence ERC, radical left CUP, the Catalan European Democratic
Party PDeCAT (former liberal CDC), Demòcrates de Catalunya, alternative
left alliance Catalunya Sí Que es Pot and, left party MES, launched by
Catalan ERC MEP Ernest Maragall.
With its wide political representation, one of the main
characteristic elements of the National Pact for a Referendum is its
cross-party nature. The main pro-independence associations, the Catalan
National Assembly (ANC), Òmnium Cultural and the Association of
Municipalities for Independence (AMI), which were responsible for the
last massive pro-independence mobilizations on Catalonia’s National Day,
are among the founders. Other associations which are present include
“Súmate’, an organization mostly formed of people of Spanish origin
living in Catalonia who support independence from Spain, the NGO
‘Plataforma per la Llengua’, which aims to promote the use of Catalan as
a tool for social cohesion, and organizations, such as retirement
homes, psychiatric hospitals, children-in-need centers, and social
dining rooms grouped in the ‘Taula del Tercer Sector’. The main trade
unions, the Workers Commissions trade union (CCOO) and the General
Workers Union (UGT) are also represented, together with employers’
association ‘Foment del Treball’.
More than 3,000 people attended the National Pact for Referendum's event at Barcelona 'Palau de Congressos' (by ACN)
