flower offering

All the political parties represented in the Catalan Parliament, except from the Conservative People’s Party (PP), Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ and radical left pro-independence CUP took part in the flower offering to Rafael Casanova’s statue and recalled the day the city fell to Bourbon troops on the 11^th of September 1714. The Catalan Government led by Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, Catalan Vice President and Catalan Minister for Economy and Tax Office, Oriol Junqueras and Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, began the tribute and placed flowers at the monument of Casanova. The Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell and Barcelona’s Mayor, Ada Colau, were next to pay tribute to the Barcelona Chief Councillor, who died defending the city during a 14-month military siege over 300 years ago.

At 9 o’clock this morning, all the political parties represented in the Catalan Parliament and in Barcelona’s City Hall, with the exception of the conservative People’s Party (PP), anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans (C’s) and alternative left and radical independence party CUP, paid the traditional homage to the statue of Rafael Casanova, Barcelona’s Chief Councillor when the city was defeated on the 11th of September 1714. The first to arrive were Catalan President Artur Mas and Catalan Parliament spokeswoman Núria de Gispert. Civil society organisations such as FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol, and Òmnium Cultural (the main organisation promoting Catalan culture and language) also participated in the event. The flower offering was the first of many events being held to commemorate Catalonia’s National Day, the 11th of September. The date not only commemorates Catalonia’s defeat in the War of the Spanish Succession, but it also recalls its consequent loss of sovereignty, self-government institutions and Constitution.