Barcelona's next mayor, Ada Colau, to attend massive pro-independence rally on Catalonia's National Day

Barcelona (ACN).- The leader of the alternative left and green coalition Barcelona en Comú, Ada Colau, has announced that she will attend the massive demonstration for Catalonia's independence scheduled for the Catalan National Day (11 September). In 2014, the demonstration gathered more than 1.8 million people in Barcelona and in 2013 formed a 400 km-long human chain, spanning Catalonia from north to south. Colau won the municipal elections 2 weeks ago and therefore is likely to become the next Mayor of the Catalan capital. Last week, she said she would not join the self-determination road map agreed between the centre-right pro-Catalan State coalition CiU – which runs the Catalan Government – and the social-democrat Catalan independence party ERC because she refuses to reach agreement with a right-wing force. Pro-Spanish unity parties and media started to speculate that she did not support Catalonia's self-determination process. This Monday Colau highlighted her commitment to the process and announced her will to contribute "to a constituent process that should allow for real sovereignty", expanding the current self-determination process and increasing its plurality. The Barcelona en Comú coalition includes pro-independence parties and Colau disclosed that she had voted for full independence in the symbolic vote on this issue that took place on 9 November 2014, despite the total opposition of the Spanish Government.

On Monday, Ada Colau met with the two main civil-society pro-independence organisations, the grassroots Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and the association Òmnium Cultural. The person who will most likely be Mayor of Barcelona by the end of this week met with the new President of the ANC, Jordi Sánchez, and the President of Òmnium, Muriel Casals. Colau told them that she is preparing Barcelona's "own commitment" with the self-determination process, in order to launch a true "constituent process that should allow for real sovereignty", she said.

The proposal was welcomed by Sánchez and Casals. The aim is to consult political, neighbourhood and social organisations in Barcelona and build a shared proposal that should strengthen the overall self-determination process. "It would be a specific contribution from the municipal sphere and from a plural perspective", explained Colau.

She also stressed that she is "not running away" from the issues of independence and self-determination, as some politicians and media have been saying over the past few days. In this vein, not only did she stress Barcelona en Comú's commitment to Catalonia's right to self-determination, but also announced her participation in the massive pro-independence rally scheduled for 11 September.

A gigantic demonstration is being prepared, as each year, by the NAC and Òmnium on Catalonia's National Day. This time it will take place along the Meridiana Avenue, which goes from the Ciutadella Park – where the Catalan Parliament is located – to outside of Barcelona, symbolically linking the institution that represents Catalonia's sovereignty with the streets of its capital city and the rest of the country. The rally will be held two weeks before the Catalan Parliament elections, scheduled for 27 September, which should become a 'de facto' referendum on independence, since it is the only outlet left by the Spanish Government to allow Catalans to hold a free and democratic vote on this issue.