Josep Vila: "We must not wait for a PP-Vox government to mobilize ourselves"

Josep Vila (La Cellera de Ter, 1959) arrives at ARA conveying an optimism and energy that is unusual in recent times for the independence movement. And this is what he tries to convey.What does the ANC expect from this year's Diada?

— We hope that on September 12th the independence movement will be stronger than on the 11th. In other words, we would like the Diada to be a recharge of energy, a reunion of the independence movement. We see in it a will not to surrender in the face of this decadence that is spreading on many levels.

Is the idea to breathe a little optimism into the movement?

— The fact is that the awareness of decline also activates you. What should I do? Stay on the sofa at home and complain? We say: either independence or decline. The thing is that this needs to be channeled, to give it an exit horizon. This is the great challenge we have.

I understand that you then avoid the disruptive temptation, right?

— Our approach is proactive. Our goal is to build a social majority in favor of independence.

The ANC had become a first-rate political actor. Are they now pursuing working from the grassroots more than having political influence on the parties?

— We want to underline very clearly that we are a civil society entity, ours is the civil front, that of the people, it is not the political and institutional front, and within the independence movement both fronts are necessary. And furthermore, it is necessary that both fronts do their job well. Therefore, before lecturing anyone, we must do our job well.

The independence movement has lost its majority in Parliament and is falling back in the polls. How can they reverse this?

— We observe that social independence is gaining ground. We are observing this, humbly, in a constant manner. It must be taken into account that we are coming from the lowest point of the independence movement, from demobilization and demotivation.

Have you noticed an increase in affiliations?

— What we have noticed is that the decline in members has stopped. And we have a whole group of young people knocking on the door, with whom we maintain a relationship and who will end up joining. We are noticing that, little by little, many of the territorial assemblies that were inactive are being reactivated. We are not where we would like to be. In other words, we do not want to deceive anyone, but we think that in a few months we must be able to structure the entire territory much more.

And are there catalyst elements, such as the police aggression towards a Barça fan for carrying an estelada?

— This ties in with what I was saying about the young people. For example, the action that we as the ANC carried out outside the Barça stadium also gave us a lot of strength. We appeared there with 10,000 estelades that people were taking from our hands and saying to us: "Do you need help distributing them?" In half an hour we had them distributed.

The ANC had historically held an inclusive discourse. Do you believe that, as a result of the frustration with the Process, there is a temptation towards an identitarian withdrawal?

— I would say that this is a trait that appears in all Western societies. Therefore, I would not consider it a trait specific to Catalonia. A colleague, a rap singer, told me a phrase that basically said: "Spaniards living in Catalonia who feel Spanish, you have a problem. And it is that the State treats you as Catalan citizens". This should make us reflect a lot. That is to say, the fact of not being able to have our own resources to deal with basic needs affects all of us citizens. How are our trains? And healthcare? Ultimately, these are the most important things that end up uniting us.

What discourse do they have regarding the migratory phenomenon and the debate about the Catalonia of 10 million?

— The migratory phenomenon directly impacts many areas of the country's life, and we need to be able to manage it, because right now Catalonia does not have the tools to be able to deal with it. You need, first of all, the capacity to decide, which we do not have, you need resources to invest in it, which we do not have, and you need the will to put that issue on the table, which I would dare to say we do not have either.

The question is: while independence is not reached, how is the meantime managed? That is to say, should one vote yes to a new financing system that represents more resources for Catalonia even if it is not the tax agreement or independence?

— I think this is a question for the political front, but it is evident that we will not applaud this.

Do you fear that the debate surrounding Aliança will monopolize the Diada?

— At the gates of September 11th, we do not want the protagonist of the Diada to be a party, nor a specific political option. It must be the people's Diada. Obviously, we will not ask anyone what their political opinion is, we have never done so. But everyone knows the parameters in which we move: we come from political Catalanism and we want all parties to be very careful with human rights, but all of them, one and the other, because the whitewashing of the 155 or the denial of the right to self-determination also grates in terms of fundamental rights.

Would they like a Diada without party banners?

— We prefer that it be without party banners. But neither will we exercise police control saying, listen, there are three people over there carrying them and, therefore, they must be kicked out. No, this is a citizen mobilization and people express what they want to express, but we, if asked, say that it is not the time for parties. Because, sometimes, there are even parties that would like us to place them as protagonists and who keep poking us to do so. We will not do it.

Can you be a bit more specific? Are you talking about Alliance?

— No, we will not do it. September 11th is the popular expression of the people, it must be transversal, it must be unitary, and it must not be the day of the parties.

You have also been the scene of the parties' struggle...

— We need to turn the page on this image of division, of fighting, of reproaches. And as the ANC we must also assume that we have surely contributed to it as well. We must turn the page because we are aiming to head towards a new push.

And will this be easier if, for example, a year from now, when the Diada arrives, there is a PP-Vox government in Madrid?

— Look, I am convinced that it will not be easier, neither now nor before. Sometimes it has acted as a catalyst, but we think that, in the current context, there are already enough elements to mobilize people and we do not have to wait for the fits of rage that a PP and Vox government might end up causing us. Which they will surely provide us with, those fits of rage.