The repression of the Spanish state has been the thread that has frequently pulled together an increasingly dispersed Catalan independence movement in recent years. If a few days ago, representatives of all parties gathered to support Marta Molina of the Republican Left (ERC) before her testimony in the Democratic Tsunami investigation; then, a week later, the passing of the amnesty law has achieved it again. Together for Catalonia (Junts), ERC and the CUP attended the event organized by Òmnium Cultural to celebrate what they described as a "collective victory", the day after the Congress of Deputies finally approved the amnesty law, and with, still ahead, the publication in the official gazette to bring the law into force, and the response of the judges whose duty is to apply it. Jordi Turull, secretary general of Junts; Oriol Junqueras, president of ERC and Laia Estrada, leader of the CUP in the Catalan election, were among those who took part in this event at the La Model site in Barcelona, as well as Andrés García, new Comuns deputy. Already yesterday, in the courtyard of the Spanish Congress, deputies from Junts and ERC hugged each other, as did Jordi Turull and Oriol Junqueras who followed the parliamentary session live from the public seating area.
Working for self-determination
In the manifesto that was read during this event, the immediate application of the amnesty is called for, echoing the demand made by Ómnium president Xavier Antich and other independentist voices yesterday. "The amnesty is an unequivocal recognition that repression will not allow the conflict to be resolved and an act of reparation for the thousands of Catalans who have been persecuted, investigated, prosecuted, fined, imprisoned and forced into exile," reads the text which was read by the activist Antònia Maria Dols, with the representatives of the movement behind her. Also present were Anna Erra, acting speaker of Parliament, Marta Vilaret, ERC amnesty negotiator, and Dani Cornellà, the CUP's number 1 candidate for Girona.
The manifesto makes it clear that "nothing ends or begins today": "The fines, imprisonments, exile, espionage and police investigations have only succeeded in strengthening the hundreds of arguments that justify the prioritization of Catalonia obtaining its own state". For all that, Òmnium emphasizes that, now that the law has been passed, what is needed is "to work for the great consensuses of the country of Catalonia, a just society and to guarantee, finally, the free and full exercise of right of self-determination". From the lectern of Congress, Gabriel Rufián, assured that once the amnesty was achieved, the next stop would be the self-determination referendum. Junts also gave a a similar message, affirming that the passing of the amnesty was the prelude to the next phase and that a "window of opportunity" is now opening to "negotiate the future of Catalonia as equals".