More than 1.6 million people in the Catalan human chain

The Via Catalana cap a la Independencia (Catalan Way towards Independence), human chain from the Pyrenees to the Ebro river (and beyond) to demand, once again, the sovereignty of Catalonia, was a total success. 

According to the Catalan Government (Generalitat), the demonstration gathered no less than 1.6 million people, figures that are perfectly comparable to the last year's Diada, in which the figures danced around 1.5 or 2 million. The Catalan demand for independence remains undauntedly strong. 

However this year's format was much more challenging: imitating the initiative of the Baltic Countries decades ago, they organized a human chain from the port of Pertús in the Pyrenees to the border with the Valencian Country by the South. In fact this last border was finally overcome after the Supreme Court accepted in the last minute that the extension of a kilometer to Vinarós was fully legal.

Soon after that historical Baltic chain, spanning Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, these states became independent. Will that be the case of Catalonia? Nobody really knows at this stage but it is clear that it is what the Catalan People wants and denying such a massive demand is outright imperialist and antidemocratic. 

Fascist attack in Madrid

The negative point in such a day of democratic celebration was the attack suffered by the act in the delegation of the Generalitat in Madrid by a group of some 15 neonazis who injured several assistants, including elect representatives, and threw pepper gas inside the hall. 

So far the attackers, who acted with their faces uncovered (except one), are at large.

Sources[es]: Naiz Info (→ photo gallery), La Vanguardia (→ fascist attack video), El Periódico.


Update: Six arrested so far for the fascist aggression in Madrid, the most notorious one is Íñigo Pérez de Herrasti Urquijo, born in 1957, and who already was in prison for terrorism: arrested in 2000 with weapons and explosives and an organized cell that planned to attack relatives of Basque political prisoners when they had to travel to Madrid for visits. Sentenced to 14 years, he's already at large, while Basque prisoners are forced to do their sentence in full or even more.

The other five arrested are quite younger, born between 1978 and 1989 (i.e. people who have no first person experience of living under fascism). Their names are: Javier Marcos Aroca, Pedro Chaparro Velacoracho, Victor Diego Villalba, Santiago Cabezuela García and Paula Mijares.

Source: Sare Antifaxista[es].

Catalan Countries: Spain forbids independentist human chain in Valencia, German think tank ponders Catalan independence

Tomorrow is the Diada, the national day of Catalonia, which last year was marked by some two million people marching (or rather just standing because there was no room) through the streets of Barcelona in demand of independence.

This year instead the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) plan to do a human chain through 400 kilometers of roads. 

However when this initiative was extended to the Valencian Country, the Spanish proconsuls have moved to ban them altogether, in yet another indication of the lack of real democracy in the only remaining Southern European kingdom.

The subdelegation of the Spanish Government in Castelló forbade the extension of the human chain to Vinarós, a mere kilometer south of the Catalan border on grounds of "fundamental rights", such as "road security" (for real!) This extension of the chain was going to include famous artists like Lluis Llach and Carles Santos, and also relatives of Guillem Aguilló, murdered by a fascist death squad 20 years ago in Castelló. 

Another ban was imposed to the concentration of solidarity with the Diada in Guardamar del Segura, in Alacant province, also in the Valencian Country. In this case the Spanish neofascist authorities alleged technical reasons: the request was forwarded too late (or whatever, you know).

Germans pondering Catalan independence

A bourgeois German think tank that gives advice to Angela Merkel, the Science and Politics Foundation (SWP), thinks that Catalan independence makes good sense. 

The report, signed by Kai-Olaf Lang, thinks plausible that Catalonia declares independence if Spain does not make major concessions. The report emphasizes that the movement for independence is a civil society one, independent from parties. 

He warns that the EU must be ready for such a scenario and, considering the issues regarding EU membership for a newly independent state, he believes that the initial formula could be one in which, while Catalonia is not part of EU (yet), EU laws still apply inside their territory. Of course he's thinking about the legal protection of some 600 German companies present in Catalonia. 

The most interesting point is that the traditional European stand of defending Spanish territorial integrity no matter what has been dropped. Realism is winning the day. 

Source: Gara[es].

Spain: thousands demand government resignation

Thousands protested in Madrid and other cities of the State of Spain before the offices of the ruling conservative party (PP) in denounce of the widespread corruption and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Rajoy, who seems guilty of embezzling and being part of a B account within his party, along with many ministers, former ministers, the party's Secretary General María Dolores de Cospedal and a long etcetera. 

In Madrid they chanted: "government resignation for theft and corruption", "theft and corruption is the Brand Spain", "Rajoy and Cospedal to the prison of Soto del Real" or simply "No!"

Other protests took place in Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Seville, Albacete, Granada, Palma de Majorca, A Coruña and Badajoz.

In Madrid and Valencia there were many police charges. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

France: political trial against anti-Zionist for calling to boycott Israel

How ironical that anti-discrimination laws are used against those who are fighting against Apartheid and Genocide!

Seven activists faced trial in Alençon, Normandie, after they took part in a propaganda action in a supermarket, calling for boycott to Zionist products. They risk a fine of up to €1000 for "discrimination". Three others suffered a similar ideological persecution in Perpinyá (Northern Catalonia). Hundreds concentrated in their support in both cities.

France seems to be one of the states on Earth where campaigning against Zionism is most actively persecuted:

Dozens of activists have faced criminal charges or investigation and the French police regularly demand the names and addresses of activists that take part in actions organized in support of BDS against Israel. Several activists have already been issued with heavy fines.

The Zionist regime and its necessary associate the Zionist International, so influential within the Western Empire (but also in other powers like Russia or India), is trying to intimidate by means of political persecution the the campaign of disobedience against their imposition of Hebraized neo-Nazi values. They do not seem to understand that repression only strengthens the determination and support for those who are so obviously right. 

Source: Electronic Intifada.

Catalonia: 90,000 gather in 'Concert for Freedom'

The 'Concert per la Llibertat' began with a human mosaic (photo) as the Orfeó Catalá (voice chorus) and the Cobla de Cambra de Catalanyua (orchestra) interpreted the national hymn Els Segadors (the reapers). The human mosaic demanded in English Freedom for Catalonia in 2014 (date of a proposed referendum, not accepted by the imperial power, Spain). 

A huge array of artists took part in the macro-concert, which was broadcast live by the public Catalan media, was huge, including veteran Catalan singers like Dyango, Peret, María del Mar Bonet or Lluis Llach and also musicians from other countries like the Basques Paco Ibáñez or Fermín Muguruza, the Greek Giannis Papaioannou or the North American Gisele Jackson,

The second half of the even was focused on the politically most inspiring compositions of veteran singer Lluís Llach, who had not been on stage in the last six years. He interpreted himself some of his most popular themes like Venim del Nord, Venim del Sud (we come from the North, we come from the South) or Tossudamente alçats (standing stubbornly), while many other of his songs were sang by various other stars. 

The event ended with the song Independencia (independence), perfomed together by the public.

Sources: Concert per la Llibertat[cat], La Vanguardia[es], Naiz Info[es].

Teachers, students and workers violently evicted from University of Barcelona

At 3:45 in the night, police forces evicted violently the students, teachers and workers who were occupying the rectory of the University of Barcelona in protest for the budgetary cuts and the fascist project of a new educative law. 

Source: Webguerrillero[cat/es] (incl. video).

Catalonia: five anarchists arrested

Five members of the Anarchist organization Bandera Negra (Black Flag) have been arrested in Sabadell under the accusations of conforming a "terrorist group" and "apology of terrorism".

The operation is being carried under the political tribunal Audiencia Nacional (Inquisition), organized by fascist dictator Franco under the name of Public Order Tribunal for the persecution of political dissidence and the favorable treatment of elements of the political oligarchy (for example Princess Cristina was recently detached from a notorious corruption case by this special tribunal).

Judge Pedraz ordered the search of the Ateneu Llibertari (~ Libertarian Academy) of Sabadell.

No more details are known by the moment other than the arrested being expected to declare on Friday. 

Source: Sare Antifaxista[es].

May Day: police violently impedes worker march in Barcelona

A massive police deployment of hundreds of riot police agents impeded the march called by the independentist Candidatura d'Unitat Popular (CUP) to the see of the ruling party Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya (CDC, conservatives) under the slogan: Against the dictatorship of the euro: popular sovereignty.

Police charged brutally against any attempt to do the march. They call it "democracy"...

Sources[cat]: Kaos en la Red, Vilaweb.