Government and parliament to dedicate National Day event to 'political prisoners and exiles'

With Catalonia's National Day in just over a week, the government and parliament aim to dedicate the traditional institutional event on the eve of September 11 to the "political prisoners and exiles," migrations and collective resistance.

Announced on Monday, the event will take the form of the show, 'Tornarem', created and directed by Lluís Danés, which will highlight the "exceptional" moment in the country's history and focus on the values of welcome, perseverance and hope.

The show will start at 10pm on September 10 in Sant Jaume square in Barcelona, where the Catalan government headquarters is located, with the presence of a contingent of Mossos d'Esquadra police in full dress uniform.

The following day, government and parliament representatives will make the traditional floral tribute at the Rafael Casanova monument. Later in the day, the annual mass demonstration in favor of self-determination is also due to take place in Barcelona.

With the verdict for pro-independence leaders tried this year in the Supreme court due in the next few weeks, and president Quim Torra due in court charged with disobedience at the end of the month, this year's National Day celebrations are likely to be tense. 

Last week, the main unionist party in Catalonia, Ciutadans, announced that it will not be taking part in the National Day commemoration, as it “excludes half of all Catalans.” Representatives of the unionist People's Party will also stay away.