Barcelona takes to the streets on October 12 in the face of the "double threat" of amnesty and self-determination
More than a thousand people have demonstrated this October 12, Hispanic Heritage Day, in the center of Barcelona called by the organization Movimiento Cívico d'Espanya i Catalans under the motto 'Enough of concessions'. Several constitutional entities and political parties such as PP, Vox or Ciudadanos have wanted to claim that “this year more than ever it is necessary for citizens to show their rejection of the situation we are experiencing, of the possible investiture,” as pointed out by the spokesperson and vice president of d'Espanya i Catalans, Javier Megino.
Furthermore, he added that this possible investiture to the presidency of the Government of Spain “is being subjected and subordinated to separatism, to the heirs of terrorism” and in reference to the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont he added: “Maybe, you never know, it will end up coming in the presidential Falcon a person who is a fugitive from justice”. Megino stressed that the citizens of “Barcelona, Catalonia and those who feel Spanish, because they are and always will be, have every right to say that everything that separatism asks for cannot be granted.”
In this act, the spokesperson for Vox in the Parliament of Catalonia, Joan Garriga, sees an eventual amnesty “for the corrupt separatist coup plotters” as “outrageous” and proposed holding a referendum, applying article 92 of the Constitution, throughout Spain to decide. if “separatist” parties are outlawed. Furthermore, he warned of the “double threat” that Spain faces, such as the amnesty that they want to “perpetrate” in Congress at the hands of “socialists, communists and separatist parties”, which would “betray” legality, compliance with sentences and It would leave aside the “equality” between the Spanish people, and on the other hand the agreement of clarity promoted by the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, to “divide” the Catalans and “break up” the Spanish nation.
Regarding his consultation proposal, the Vox representative urged that a change be decided in the Law of Parties to “illegalize”, as has happened in Portugal, France or Germany, the formations “that want to break coexistence, betray history and break national sovereignty”. It also proposes a new model of State, in which “equal laws for all Spaniards, without distinction” emanate from Congress and then the closest administration, the City Councils, manage the common laws for all.
For his part, the leader of Ciudadanos in Catalonia, Carlos Carrizosa, asked to change the Statute to give Spanish the treatment of “Catalonia's own language”, as happens with Catalan.. He recalled that article 6 of the Statute states that the language of Catalonia “is Catalan” and that as such “Catalan is the language of normal and preferred use by public administrations and public media in Catalonia, and is also the language normally used as a vehicle and learning language in education”, although it also recognizes that Spanish is also the “official language” in Catalonia.. That is why he added that this “legal inequality” between both languages “does not make any sense”, because the Catalans “normally embrace both languages” and he regretted that the PSC “puts a brake on” this legal modification and that Spanish is also vehicular language in teaching.
Also the president of the PP of Catalonia, Alejandro Fernández, pointed out that this October 12 “is a good day to remind the entire political class that “all Spaniards must be equal before the law” and warned that there cannot be ” privileged, a caste, that can commit crimes with impunity and then end up being amnestied”. “We are here to unite, not to divide, we are here to cooperate, and not to destroy,” said Fernández, who highlighted that in events such as Hispanic Heritage Day we can “show the immense pride we feel for being Spanish” and that “Spain is one of the great nations of the world and one of the great democracies of the world, because Spain's contribution to literature, the arts and knowledge in general is absolutely incomparable.”
The protesters have chanted several slogans, such as the usual 'Puigdemont to prison' or 'Let Txapote vote', although the march took place in a festive tone with music and dances by representatives of Latin American countries, such as Colombia, Venezuela or Paraguay. , who accompanied the procession. That is why many flags of these South American countries could be seen along with the Spanish one and some of Israel, due to the ongoing conflict..
At the end there were parliaments as well as several tents of constitutionalist entities such as Escuela de Todos, Hablamos Español, Societat Civil Catalana, Convivencia Cívica or Barcelona with the National Team, among others.. For the organizers this 12-O is “the day of the true national holiday of the Catalans.”
On the other hand, the Department of Equality and Feminisms of the Generalitat pointed out that this October 12 it is celebrated that the “misnamed discovery” of America actually represents “the beginning of one of the greatest genocides in history and a violent colonization, with systematic violations of what we today recognize as human rights”. That's why they believe that “there is nothing to celebrate”