National Day activities and protests to be held half in person, half virtually

Catalonia’s National Day protest, held every year on September 11 and a reference point in the cry for independence in recent years, will be held half in person and half virtually this year. 

President of the pro-independence civic group Catalan National Assembly, Elisenda Paluzie, explained the plans in an interview with Catalan radio station Rac 1 on Thursday morning.

She also said that there will be no large protest in the center of Barcelona as seen in recent years, but that there will be decentralized rallies throughout the country.

Paluzie said that this model has been devised so that everyone can participate, given the current health emergency. "These mixed virtual and face-to-face formulas are because risk groups probably won't be able to take to the streets, while others will."

Paluzie did not say that the usual protest at 5.14 pm will take place, but guaranteed that the celebrations will also be aimed at non-independence activists.

"The crisis has shown that from Catalonia we do not have the tools to deal with a crisis of this magnitude because we are not a state, and has also shown independence as a necessity," she added.