Catalan Weekend postponed to September
Those of you who read my St George’s Day message of solidarity will have seen my shameless plug for the Catalan Weekend.
Organisers Òmnium Cultural have announced that the event will not now take place in June, but instead will be held between 10 and 12 September.
Although this may seem, on the face of it, to be a disappointing setback, it is actually very exciting for supporters of Catalan independence and for those who wish to experience the strong sense of Catalan nationalism.
Catalan Weekend has been rescheduled to coincide with the Diada Nacional de Catalunya (the National Day of Catalunya) on 11 September, when catalans commemorate the end of the Siege of Barcelona during the War of Spanish Succession in 1714, when Barcelona fell to the Bourbons and Catalunya lost its independence.
For catalans, not only is 11 September an important day historically, it is also an opportune time to reaffirm their desire for independence, as this video from 2014 (where supporters of independence formed a giant human V in Barcelona – signifying “votar”, their call for a referendum) demonstrates:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7YKXi0U8Js]
Once again, I would strongly urge each and every single one of you consider attending the Catalan Weekend and seeing first-hand the case – and support – for independence.