Junts claims "the validity of the October 1 mandate" on the anniversary of the referendum

BarcelonaFrom Cornellà del Terri, where former president Carles Puigdemont voted on October 1st, Junts held its event this Tuesday evening to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the October 1st referendum. Under the slogan "Committed to October 1st," the Junts members demanded "the validity of the referendum mandate" after the independence movement lost its majority in the Catalan Parliament and called for "finishing the job." To this end, Puigdemont called for "maintaining" the formula that made October 1st possible and advocated three "ingredients" that, in his opinion, made it possible: unity, transversality—without considering "what the people on our side think, what their origins are, or what religion they profess"—and a forward-looking perspective. For his part, Jordi Turull warned: "We don't make the wrong choice about our adversaries; a separatist, no matter how different they think, is never, never, never the adversary."

Turull insisted that this "adversary" is Spain, and in a recorded speech, Puigdemont accused Spain of "vetoing" Catalan institutions from fulfilling "many of the desires of the people of Catalonia," also in matters of housing and salaries. This veto, according to the former president, is "not only because of the money it takes each year, but because it doesn't give us the political power."

The event was opened by the mayor of the municipality, Salvador Coll, who began by recalling the "democratic lesson to the world" that was the 1-O vote and the repression of Mariano Rajoy's government, which was "like the commuter trains" because it was always "late." However, he quickly noted that the referendum "should not be a postcard," but rather an "example" to follow to "transform disenchantment into strength." Specifically regarding this disenchantment, Coll warned that it leads to "seeking refuge in projects that promise instant miracles," concluding by recalling that "no nation has been built on anger and withdrawal."

The event also featured a roundtable discussion between Marta Madrenas, former mayor of Girona; Pep Coma, mayor of Molló; Natàlia Figueras, mayor of Maçanet de la Selva; and Guillem Puig, a member of the polling station where Puigdemont voted. During the discussion, they recalled that "deeply emotional" day and the nerves of not knowing what would happen "until the moment we opened the door" of the polling station. The conversation ended with a wish from Madrenas: "If we did it once, we can do it again. Now, this time it would be ideal to end it well."