El punter gegant ha recorregut els 135 trams i ha arribat al Parlament de Catalunya! #SomViaLliure https://t.co/T3Nskvivda
— Assemblea Nacional (@assemblea) September 11, 2015
.@3gerardpique és a la #ViaLliure11S. L'entrevista el company @sergirocap #11SCatRàdio pic.twitter.com/E9uNp5pv5C
— 324.cat (@324cat) September 11, 2015
El punter avança a tota velocitat. Fem l'onada de la República Catalana! #SomViaLliure pic.twitter.com/BvQsl689Np
— Assemblea Nacional (@assemblea) September 11, 2015
NOSOTRAS PARIMOS, nosotras decidimos #vialliure #vialliure2015 #vialliure11s #diada #diada… http://t.co/0gw1871nz3 pic.twitter.com/3uMeweLrnQ
— Daniel J. Meyer (@danijmeyer) September 11, 2015
Estem a punt!! #ViaLliure11s pic.twitter.com/CQZoVgiHhP
— Convergents – CDC (@ConvergenciaCAT) September 11, 2015
Así está ahora la Meridiana, vía @elpaiscat. Foto de Albert Garcia pic.twitter.com/o4o6VhxI5g
— Rebeca Carranco (@RebecaCarranco) September 11, 2015
Another dog wearing showing his independent spirit. Photo: Gerard Julien / AFP
16.58: La Diada around the world
Catalans across the world are sharing photos as they celebrate their National Day.
Imatges d'arreu del món per celebrar la #Diada2015 Envia'ns les teves geolocalitzades amb #11STV3 #11SCatRàdio pic.twitter.com/Y4S8InwAlv
— 324.cat (@324cat) September 11, 2015
16.30: Hijack of La Diada?
Sáenz de Santamaria and Artur Mas were seated next to each other at a funeral in Barcelona in February Photo: AFP
#11STV3 una mica de feedback pic.twitter.com/vh8HWgO0VA
— Manel Martinez (@manelmartinezg) September 11, 2015
Photo: Creative commons / wikimedia
La Senyera, the Catalan flag of four red stripes on a yellow background, is everywhere on La Diada. Giant versions are hung across entire buildings while innumerable smaller versions flutter from balconies or are draped across cars. A high percentage of people walking the streets either wear or carry a version of the flag, although many versions on sale are now rather unpatriotically made in China.
A slightly different flag, la estelada, has surged in popularity in recent years. It features a white star on a blue triangle (or sometimes a red star on a yellow triangle) over the senyera's red-and-yellow stripes and is the unofficial symbol of the Catalan independence movement.
Photo: AFP
16.16 Who let the dogs out?
This is canine is demanding independence. But is his bark worse than his bite?
Gallina de piel #Diada2015 pic.twitter.com/Cq1pZdBSWl
— Paqui Puig (@paquipuig) September 11, 2015
16.10 Why are Catalans marching?
In case you ware wondering what this demonstration is all about, The Local asked Liz Castro, who is the International Committee Chair of the Catalan National Assembly, which organizes the mass march for independence on La Diada.
Read her provocative opinion on why the Catalan people need to stand up to Madrid.
Why are Catalans on the street marching for independence?
16.05: And here is an aerial shot of the streets
#Diada2015 La Meridiana ara mateix @324cat @btvnoticies pic.twitter.com/ixOlpNW2nY
— Carlos Marcos (@carlosmace) September 11, 2015
15.59 Crowds are gathering
The streets are filling up ahead of the start of Via Lliure in Barcelona. People are getting ready with their giant arrows which are designed to symbolically point the way towards independence, apparently.
Al tram 1 de la #Vialliure el punter gegant ja està a punt! pic.twitter.com/Yj2YO5WQMS
— Ara és l'hora! (@Araeslhora) September 11, 2015
Visca Catalunya independent! Tram 20 #ViaLliure11S #Diada2015 pic.twitter.com/ipYl8TlF7a
— Miquel Valero (@MiquelValero) September 11, 2015
15.40 From one Republican to many.
Earlier in the week Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Féin (political wing of the terrorist group IRA) has sent a message of support to the Catalan people in their struggle for self-determination.
Watch it here:
15.07 Easy riders
Hundreds of bikers met up in the town of Vic and are on their way to Barcelona to join in the Via Lliure.
Enmig dels Motards x la independència i els autocars #JoMeridiana #ViaLliure11S @assemblea pic.twitter.com/P8bSYgDrED
— Marta Torres ||*|| (@martatorresv) September 11, 2015
14.59: Crowds pour in to Barcelona
Crowds are gathering for the march which will take place through the streets of Barcelona this afternoon. More than 2,000 coaches have been laid on by the NAtional Catalan Assembly (ANC) to bring participants from across Catalonia to the capital to march under the slogan, “Let's start building a new country.”
En marxa! #Meridiana @assemblea #vialliure2015 #laleixar #tram107 pic.twitter.com/EAuasmA6iO
— l'Aleixar ANC ||*|| (@ANClAleixar) September 11, 2015
The first buses have already arrived.
Arribem al tram 1 amb autocar. Uala. #Diada2015 pic.twitter.com/Om30DZgVBX
— Sussss (@fotosussss) September 11, 2015
14.51: Tasty cakes
Someone has posted a picture of some tasty looking Diada cakes in the form of the Catalan independence flags.
Dolça #diada, dolça #Catalunya! #Diada2015 pic.twitter.com/KqZXCXJgjg
— Anita Mas (@amasga89) September 11, 2015
And these:
Uns fantàstics #eclairs de la #CasaVives, ideals per celebrar la #Diada2015, abans d'anar cap a la #ViaLliure!! FEL… pic.twitter.com/qOHc2sSoF4
— elsFogonsDeLaBordeta (@elsfogons) September 11, 2015
14.15: “We are much better together” says ex-PM
Photo: AFP
Last week Spain's former Socialist Prime Minsiter (between 1982-1996), Felipe González, urged Catalans to turn away from the path towards independence, likening the movement to the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy in the 1930s.
Message to Catalaonia: “We are much better together” says ex-PM
13.41 Ciudadanos are cooking up a storm
En la arrozada de @CiudadanosCs en Tarragona. Bona diada a tothom! pic.twitter.com/YsrXXPFca4
— Inés Arrimadas (@InesArrimadas) September 11, 2015
Pro-seccessionist parties look set to just clinch a majority in the Catalan parliament in elections called for September 27th which have become a de facto vote on independence.
This is a breakdown of the vote according to a poll published by the CIS on Thursday.
Source: Screengrab from El Mundo
13.18 Madrid backtracks on dialogue
There is a bit of backtracking today from the government in Madrid over the Catalan question.
On Thursday the Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo seemed to open the doors to talks on constitutional reform and greater fiscal powers for Catalonia.
Foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo Photo: AFP
“The government has since the very beginning wanted to start a dialogue that would solve this problem. And it probably involves a constitutional reform and a different system of regional financing,” he said.
But during a radio interview on Friday, Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said the foreign minister's comments were taken out of context and did not reflect the ruling Popular Party's position.
13:03 Diada baby!
The hero of Barça FC Lionel Messi has just announced the birth of his second son.
Congratulations to #Barcelona striker Lionel Messi and his wife Antonella on the birth of their second son Benjamin! pic.twitter.com/5oznAuQPk3
— The Local Spain (@TheLocalSpain) September 11, 2015
12.49 Human towers
Castell building is a tradition unique to Catalonia and the championship final is currently underway in Tarragona. The human towers are formed by people balancing on the shoulders of others until they reach high into the sky.
Final 2a ronda #Diada2015: @xiquetstgn 3d9f, @CCSPISP 2d7, @JoveDeTarragona 5d8 i @XiquetsSerrallo id2d7 pic.twitter.com/TfZ8lSRbID
— Tarragona Cultura (@TGNcultura) September 11, 2015
Meanwhile in Barcelona…
Human tower time lapse in Barcelona…worth a watch #Diada #castellers pic.twitter.com/NJoz9jvu9u
— Tom Burridge (@TomBurridgebbc) September 11, 2015
12.25 Not everyone is caught up in the pro-independence fever
Photo: AFP
Internationally renowned film director and Catalonia native Isabel Coixet has published a scathing piece in El País, revealing she is one of the silent majority of Catalan people who don’t care about independence, don’t like flag waving and who are “neither fascinated or sickened” by the idea of Spain.
“There are many more of us than it seems, more than the world thinks,” she writes.
She writes that most Catalans only want a health system that works, good education for their children and to be able to relax with a coffee on a weekend and speak “whatever language they want”. She wishes that speeches were “relegated to weddings and anniversaries”.
The speech ends with a cinematic reference, not comparing Catalonia to any famous on-screen independence struggles, but rather to a film where the past repeats itself, every single day.
“For too many years we’ve been trapped in time like Bill Murray in the film Groundhog day but without even having an Andie McDowell for whom it would be worth waking up day after day. Sure there are worse things, but right now we can’t think of any…”
Screen grab: Groundhog Day/YouTube
11.50 Brush up on your Catalan
Déu n'hi do! (or wow, amazing! in Catalan) If all the Diada celebrations have made you eager to learn some of the lingo The Local has compiled a list of ten great Catalan colloquialisms that will definitely impress your Catalan friends.
Ten wonderful Catalan expressions everybody should learn
11:00 Controversy from the mayor of Barcelona
Newly elected Barcelona mayor, Ada Colau has said that she will not be attending the demonstration this afternoon because of its “overtly political” nature and coming as it does just ahead of the elections on September 27th.
She did however mark the National Day with a ceremony outside the City Hall in Barcelona.
“@Laiaortiz: Ofrena del @bcn_ajuntament #Diada2015 La sobirania comença als ajuntaments, bona Diada Nacional a totes pic.twitter.com/9cLzePvcyf“
— Ada Colau (@AdaColau) September 11, 2015
She also attended a tribute to former Chilean President Salvador Allende to mark the 42nd anniversary of Chile’s military coup, during which Allende died. While the official version said he committed suicide, many believe he was murdered in the attack on La Moneda, Santiago’s government headquarters.
La plaza Allende es una cumbre de políticos de izquierdas. Ninguno, sin embargo, en el escenario. Serrat sí #DiadaEM pic.twitter.com/bfgPgXBBQm
— Javier Oms (@Javioms) September 11, 2015
10.53 Happy dance
Here is the leader of the Socialist party in Catalonia, Miquel Iceta, celebrating La Diada in his own unique way.
Miquel Iceta es llença a ballar “Don't stop me now” de Queen https://t.co/GLop3jkHbV
— Miquel Iceta Llorens (@miqueliceta) September 11, 2015
The latest poll by CIS showed the Catalan socialists (PSC) would likely only win 7.4 percent of the vote on September 27th putting the party in fourth place and giving the pro-seccessionists parties a majority in parliament.
10:45 Floral tributes
Moment de l'ofrena floral al monument a Rafael Casanova #diada2015 #11S2015 pic.twitter.com/v7XfkiVi5n
— FIATC Joventut (@Penya1930) September 11, 2015
Lots of floral tributes piling up at the feet of the statue of Rafael Casanova, the commander whose army was finally defeated on September 11th 1714 after the 14-month Siege of Barcelona. The surrender marked the dissolution of autonomous Catalan institutions, the removal of Catalan as an official language and the imposition of new laws from the newly centralised Spain.
10:28 Wondering what La Diada is all about?
It commemorates a famous military defeat and it was banned under fascist dictator General Francisco Franco. Read The Local's essential guide: Five things you need to know about Catalonia's national day.
A good day to be a flag seller: Catalonia will be festooned with millions of 'senyeras' and 'esteladas' on September 11th. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP
10:00 A ceremony has taken place at the monument of Rafael Casanova, the commander of chief of forces defending the freedom of Catalonia in 1714.
La Diada Nacional de Catalunya—the National Day of Catalonia – is now officially underway.
Ofrena floral del #presidentMas i el @govern. Bona Diada 2015. Visca Catalunya! pic.twitter.com/A7lc8kLbhF
— Joan Maria Piqué ن (@joanmariapique) September 11, 2015
The Diada kickstarts the regional election campaign ahead of the September 27th vote which has been billed as a de facto poll on independence.
The Catalan leader launched his campaign on Thursday evening insisting that the election just over a fortnight away would give him “a democratic mandate” for his drive to defy Madrid by breaking the rich northeastern region away from Spain.
Podeu recuperar el missatge institucional del #presidentMas amb motiu de la Diada #11S2015 http://t.co/aOUbcpjmSj pic.twitter.com/zqKlZN0kzE
— Govern. Generalitat (@govern) September 10, 2015
“In your hands is the strength and the tool to mark the political future of this nation: the vote,” said Mas, a conservative who is campaigning in an alliance with left-wing nationalists for the election.
“Once the people have spoken through their vote, we will all take on board what the majority decides,” he added, in a speech broadcast late Thursday a few hours before the official start of campaigning.
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