Grassroots group defending Catalan language calls for Sant Jordi demonstration

With the aim of "jointly" fighting against the declining use of the Catalan language, a new grassroots group will demonstrate on Sant Jordi's Day, April 23.

The Sant Jordi per la Llengua platform will organize its first event on one of the most important days of the year for Catalan culture, which is also Catalonia's 'Day of Love.'

Sant Jordi per la Llengua's goal is to "merge all of the collective anger" into one joint platform and to take to the streets on Sant Jordi at 7pm at Plaça de la Universitat.

Organizers want to "raise awareness of the linguistic emergency" and add a "political" dimension to what they call a "folklorized" day.

Dozens of civil society groups have signed the movement's manifesto, including the Plataforma per la Llengua, the Tenants' Union, Òmnium, and Assemblea Nacional de Catalunya.

The leading promoters come from the pro-independence left, according to sources from the platform quoted by the Catalan News Agency (ACN). However, the platform also includes several groups promoting the language, as well as social movements.

The platform argues that the current economic model and issues like mass tourism contribute to the "marginalization" of Catalan.

They lament the lack of "bold policies" from the institutions, and therefore want to revive the historic Sant Jordi demonstrations for the language.

"Sadness and anger"

Platform spokesperson Adrià Font told ACN that they want to bring the "sadness and anger" found on social media and in conversation "to the streets."

"It's about channeling the collective outrage over the decline in the use of the language," Font said, and "over the attacks it faces in Catalonia, Valencia, Northern Catalonia [France], and the Balearic Islands."

Another spokesperson for the Sant Jordi per la Llengua platform, Núria Alcaraz, explained that the aim to "connect" language use with "the demands for a less unequal Barcelona."

Alcaraz criticized the level of tourism and speculation in the city, which she said is "directly" linked to the decline in the use of Catalan.

"We have the right to live our lives fully in Catalan, and that newcomers are able to learn it," the spokesperson said, while calling on the authorities to allocate "all necessary resources."