La Diada, celebrated on September 11 is Catalonia’s National Day which commemorates the fall of Barcelona on September 11, 1714.  On that day, Catalonia lost the governing institutions it had maintained since the Middle Ages. In 1716, with the Nova Planta Decree, King Philip V of Borbon abolished them and subjected Catalonia to the laws of the Spanish central power, which entailed great repression of the culture, language and traditions of the Catalans that persisted in the successive reigns and dictatorships.         

The Catalan people have since commemorated that day as the day they lost their liberties and state institutions, as an example of the Catalans’ persistence and refusal to surrender in their struggle. Nowadays, the Diada has become a popular, festive day of protest, on which Catalan people massively and peacefully rally for Catalan independence. Since 2012, huge demonstrations have filled Barcelona and Catalonia’s streets, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets every year to assert their right to self-determination every year.

The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law. It states that a people, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference.

After years of massive social and political struggles, on October 1st, 2017, an independence referendum was held in Catalonia. Despite the arrest of Catalan government officials and the violence of Spanish police to suppress the voting and to seize the ballot boxes, the referendum took place with a turnout of 43%, with 90% voting “Yes”. Consequently, on October  27, the Catalan parliament voted for secession.

Since that moment, the Spanish authorities have launched a systematic campaign of repression against the Catalan people, including the persecution of more than 3,300 peaceful activists and representatives, the imprisonment of nine civil and political leaders and the obstruction by the Spanish judiciary of Catalan elected representatives taking their seats in democratic institutions, including the European Parliament.

Pacifist activists and representatives have been spied on illegally with very intrusive spyware, which can create a chilling effect among Catalan society, experts have warned, and there is a current attempt to criminalise the peaceful pro-independence movement with false accusations of terrorism.

These repressive actions have a huge negative impact on fundamental rights,especially the freedoms of speech, opinion, peaceful assembly, and the right to a fair trial and liberty and security as denounced by international institutions.

This year’s 11th of September protest will take place in five different cities: Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona, Lleida and Tortosa, to denounce the dire consequences of being part of Spain and to highlight that, without independence, Catalonia has no future project.

If you’re coming from abroad, we encourage you to join the demonstration in Barcelona, where the international guests will gather.

This year, we will be happy to greet you during the morning of 11th of September at the International Meeting Point, which will also be the Accreditation Point for the international guests who will join the head of this year’s demonstration, as well as for the international media and correspondents covering the event. We will publish more information in the upcoming weeks.

For more information, please check our international website or contact international@assemblea.cat