Viggo Mortensen joins Catalonia’s Òmnium Cultural

The American actor Viggo Mortensen has become a member of Òmnium Cultural, one of the main pro-independence organizations in Catalonia. Mortensen is one of the internationally best-known figures to come forward in support of a Catalan referendum.

“Welcome to Òmnium’s family, Viggo Mortensen! It’s an honor that you support the organization that works for culture, language and civil rights in Catalonia,” said the civil society group via Twitter on Thursday.

La família d'@omnium cada dia és més gran i, des d'avui, tenim l'honor de comptar amb el suport de l'actor Viggo Mortensen com a nou soci. Gràcies per ser-hi, Viggo! 🙌

Avui ja som 115.000 socis! Si encara no ho ets, suma-t'hi ➡️ https://t.co/C6nNXCayD6 pic.twitter.com/WBytEJZ60S

— Òmnium Cultural (@omnium) May 10, 2018

In May 2017, Mortensen signed up to the ‘Let Catalans vote’ manifesto in support of the Catalan public’s “democratic right to vote on their political future.” Signatories include six Nobel laureates and internationally acclaimed figures, such as Yoko Ono, Angela Davis, Zygmunt Bauman and Noam Chomsky.

Mortensen’s most acclaimed performances include his role as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings. He has received Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards for his role in Eastern Promises (2007) and Captain Fantastic (2017).

Òmnium currently has 115,000 members, according to figures provided by the organization. The group has been a key player in the independence bid, galvanizing supporters at the grassroots level and organizing massive rallies along with the Catalan National Assembly (ANC).

The president of Òmnium, Jordi Cuixart, has been in jail since October 16 while awaiting trial for his role in Catalonia’s push for independence. He faces criminal charges of rebellion.