Pro-independence civil society organisations emphasise “unity” in support for Forcadell

Barcelona (CNA) .- Pro-independence grass-roots organisations the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Òmnium Cultural, the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) and the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM) highlighted the support for the Parliament's President, Carme Forcadell. Forcadell testified this Friday morning before Catalonia’s Supreme Court (TSJC) for allowing the debate over the pro-independence roadmap in the Catalan Chamber last July. The representatives of the organisations warned that the wide support she received shows that the state cannot stop Catalonia’s independence process. The president of the ANC, Jordi Sànchez, deemed Forcadell’s prosecution “absolutely unjustified”. For his part the president of Òmnium, Jordi Cuixart, said Catalonia is “in a critical hour” that it must face with “unity and firmness” to guarantee that it will “emerge from this unprecedented and anti-democratic situation”. 

Sànchez criticised the “double standards” of the Spanish judiciary and said that its performance must commit everyone to “work with unity and firmly from civility” to send the message that Forcadell “will not be alone”. Furthermore, he claimed that the country has only “one possible way”, which is “expressing itself with freedom at the ballot boxes, debating all the ideas it wants in the Parliament and working for a better, fairer and a free country”. “We will win victory, we will win the referendum, we will win independence”, he added.

Cuixart lamented that democracy and freedom of expression are “questioned” and said it is important that people act with “unity and firmness” to get out of an “absolutely unprecedented and undemocratic” situation. Cuixart also requested to all the parties in the Parliament “loyalty” towards the highest institution of Catalonia and “loyalty” to the president of the Parliament. “We are in a critical hour, in a transcendent moment for our national construction as a state”, he said.

For her part, Neus Lloveras stressed that the support to Forcadell proves that the pro-independence movement in Catalonia is “unstoppable”. Moreover, she denied that the process is deflating and recalled that “every time a Catalan elected representative is attacked”, the population “will continue fighting” and “will be unite to impede that the way [to independence] gets obstructed”.

Finally, Miquel Buch stressed that up to 400 mayors rallied around the Catalan President in her way to the Barcelona’s Courthouse. Furthermore, he highlighted that the Parliament is “the greater democratic expression of a country” and, therefore, called not to “do a step back".