Illa will pay tribute to Manolo Vital in the celebration of the Diada in Extremadura

BarcelonaSalvador Illa has wanted to extend the institutional acts of the National Day in Spain and, this year, instead of also celebrating it in Madrid, the president of the Generalitat will travel to Extremadura, a region from which many Catalans originate. Government sources explain that the intention of the socialist leader in this trip on the upcoming September 16 and 17 is to vindicate "that which unites both territories, as well as the historical, family and cultural ties and bonds that unite Catalonia and Extremadura".

Since Illa arrived at the Palau de la Generalitat, he has been very focused on remembering the immigrants who arrived especially in the fifties and sixties from Spanish regions, especially Andalusia, Galicia or, precisely, Extremadura. In fact, in last Thursday's National Day speech, the head of the Government already cited the former president Josep Tarradellas to express his will that Catalonia be the "vanguard" of "the rest of the peoples of Spain". The intention is for Catalonia to serve to push the State towards more progressive positions, which Illa repeats like a mantra.

The president of the Generalitat will begin the institutional trip with a visit to La Zarza, which is a small town in the province of Badajoz where the Immigrant Monument is located. "It is a tribute to the hundreds of residents of the town who, like much of rural Extremadura, left their land in the 20th century to look for work and a better life in the industrial regions of Spain, among which is Catalonia", the Government points out in a statement.

And, precisely, the Generalitat will dedicate a special tribute to the Extremaduran immigrant Manolo Vital, who was the founder and president of the first neighborhood association of Nou Barris and protagonist of the film El 47. A screening of the film is scheduled at the Mérida Auditorium and, upon finishing, an institutional act will take place which his granddaughter, Joana Vital, will attend.

On Thursday the 17th, Illa will meet with the mayor of Mérida, the socialist Antonio Rodríguez, and will sign the city's book of honor. Afterwards, the city council of the Extremaduran capital and that of Tarragona will sign a collaboration protocol to jointly promote the Roman Theatre of Mérida –which the president will visit– and the Tarraco of the city of Tarragona. With whom the leader of the PSC is not scheduled to meet is with the Junta of Extremadura, which is governed by the PP and Vox.