‘Wake up Europe, help Catalonia’: Brussels march motto unveiled

Pro-independence grassroots organizations in Catalonia unveiled on Thursday the motto of the rally to be held in Brussels on December 7, to demand the release of imprisoned Catalan leaders: ‘Wake up Europe, help Catalonia.’ The aim of the march is to make the Catalan struggle visible in “the heart of Europe” in the run-up to the December 21 election.

“We’ve always trusted Europe, but we ask for it to start reacting and to pursue solutions to an unacceptable situation,” said Òmnium Cultural vice president, Marcel Mauri. Mauri stressed that the rally must show that demonstrations in Catalonia have been “massive, civic, festive and peaceful” in recent years.

The demonstration is organized by pro-independence grassroots groups Òmnium Cultural and the Catalan National Assembly (ANC). Both organizations saw their presidents preemptively imprisoned on October 16, accused of sedition for their role in the protests that took place in Barcelona in the run-up to the independence referendum.