Exiled Catalan political leaders Carles Puigdemont and Marta Rovira have recorded a video appealing for a demonstration of strength and unity from independence supporters this Wednesday on the Diada, Catalonia's national day. In a message circulated on social media, Rovira, general secretary of the ERC, and Puigdemont, former president, call on the Catalan independence movement to return to the streets once again en masse due to the importance of the moment: with the verdict due in what Puigdemont calls the "trial of shame" - the Supreme Court trial of 12 independence leaders. "We need everybody mobilized," says the president, while the ERC leader stresses the need to show that "we are here, we are determined and we want to win."
In the video, circulated by co-organizing group the ANC, Puigdemont suggests that this year's Diada might even be the most important of all those held till now, given the critical moment that Catalonia is passing through, with only a few weeks before the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the trial of the 2017 events. The president affirms that "no matter how severe the sentence is, they won't succeed in breaking us. We need you all greatly, especially now that the circumstances are even more difficult," he adds.
He affirms that what's needed is for the world to be told clearly that "not only have we not given up, but rather we are carrying on, and, as Jordi Cuixart says, 'we'll do it again'. Let's shown them that we've taken the initiative, not only in responding to the repression but also taking our own action, and that we're doing it in the same way as we've always obtained victories, by appealing to everyone, getting everyone involved."
Rovira also emphasizes that unity is a key. The exiled Republican Left politician underlines the importance of getting out on the street "all together" this Wednesday, "to show that we are still standing, that we are determined, that we want to finish the job, that we want to win." She says that a clear message has to be given to the world: "We generate our own self-esteem, and we also generate the image that goes around the world: we are here, we're determined and we want to win."