Catalonia frees herself from Spanish bull-fighting

"Now yes", abolition is a fact

On July 28th, 2010 the Catalan Parliament outlawed Spanish tradition of bullfighting until death.
The result of 68 in favour, 55 against the prohibition, 9 abstentions. A popular petition collected 180.000 signatures to outlaw bullfighting on the grounds that it was cruelty to animals.
Many people hates this Spanish tradition for its cruelty against the animals. Only 5 states in the world (Spain and France) maitains it. “We don't have to ban everything, but the most degrading things should be banned," said Josep Rull (CIU). Many other people in Catalonia opposes bullfighting because it is a Spanish national feast and Catalan nation is absolutely different from the Spanish one. Catalans prefer football as British people.
Spaniard press sees the outlaw as a new sign that Catalonia is far from Spain. And eveytime more and more.
Spanish unionists tried in vain to oppose the resolution arguing for the Spanish unity. In Catalonia only one place in Barcelona had fights. Just 16 fights (in Madrid, for instance, there were 350) were held on 2009, and the stadium was less than half full. Many of them were tourists who think they were in Spain. From 2012 this mistake will not be possible.

Catalan Solidarity for Independece launched

Three key personalities from several parties have launched a call to form a Catalan Solidarity for Independence with two aims:

1) To submit a single candidacy in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Catalonia with the common goal of proclaiming the independence and subjecting it to a referendum at the next term (2010-2014).


2) To establish the Government of Catalonia to organize all the necessary aspects of the transition towards the creation of the Catalan state within the EU.

All citizens who are satisfied with this proposal we ask them to register on the website www.solidaritatcatalana.cat and organize their local municipal assemblies, constituted by the local coordinators to support the candidacy of Catalan Solidarity for Independence.

First camping for the language on the island of Menorca

For the first time a camping for the language will be held on the island of Menorca, the Balearic island where Catalan is more deeply rooted. For over a decade Youth of Mallorca for the Language have made this fun and vindicative activity. This year the is that the camp has moved to the island of Menorca. The musical programm is headed by Valencian band Obrint Pas. The activity takes place on 3 and 4 July in the village of Ferreries and they have opened a blog to explain the news. Yjey also organize a boat from Majorca. As one of the organizers says: "Being able to enjoy a weekend aimed at the normalization of the language, the feast and the defense and promotion of our language, it is a success. Ferreries will become a festive and assertive core. The ability to organize an activity of this scale shows that we’re alive. " More than a thousand people celebrated tehir own language in the festival and abround three hundred were camped.

Milion Catalonians march for right to be a nation: great impact on international press

International press has covered with great interest the biggest demonstration ever held in Catalonia.
Under the slogan “We’re a nation. We decide” the march was full of separatists flags. More of them are now in the windows of many homes.
Certainly the demo was to defend a greater autonomy but the Spanish opposition to accept it transformed the rally in a giant independentist show. Here are some links to follow the new, most of them taken by Vilaweb and the Emma Collective in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 posts as well as a good note:

Protest for independence in Spain. CNN

Multitudinaria marcha por la independencia en Cataluña. Clarín.

Mais de um milhão de pessoas pedem 'independência' em Barcelona IOL (Portugal).

Catalans rally for greater autonomy within Spain The Washington Post

Catalan protest over Court ruling Sunday Express

Manifestation pour la "nation catalane" Le Figaro

In South Africa, Catalans Lead Spain; In Spain, Catalans Want (More) Freedom. Time

Million march for Catalonia's right to autonomy. The Sidney Morning Herald

Catalans march to assert nationhood Al-Jazeera.

Un million de personnes pour la Catalogne. Radio Canada.

Hunderttausende Katalanen fordern mehr Autonomie Tagesschau

1.1 million people rally in Barcelona in favor of greater Catalan autonomy within Spain Los Angeles Times

Millionenprotest in Katalonien: 'Adéu Espanya' Der Spiegel.

Manifestation monstre à Barcelone pour défendre l'autonomie Euronews (vídeo).

Barcellona e la Catalogna sul piede di guerra contro la Spagna Giornalettismo .

1.1 million people rally in Barcelona in favor of greater Catalan autonomy within Spain Fox News.

Miljoen Catalanen betogen voor autonomie Het Journaal, De Redactie (Flanders)

'Wir sind eine Nation' Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Hunderttausende Katalanen fordern Unabhängigkeit i Katalonien will nicht mehr für arme Spanier zahlen  Der Standard (Austria).

Catalan protesters rally for greater autonomy in Spain BBC.

Catalonië protesteert tegen Spanje De Telegraaf

Let us call a Nation. Morning Star.

Spanish success raises nationalist hackles. Reuters

Catalonia never again will be the same: Biggest demonstration ever done

One milion and half people, an extraordinary crowd crossed Barcelona’s streets on July 10th. Their slogan was clear: “Som una nació, nosaltres decidim”. (“We are a nation. We decide”). Never such a biggest demonstration was held in Catalonia. Autonomist and independentists marched together but Catalan flags with a star (used to claim a Catalan state) were clearly more than Catalan flags. Never so many Catalan independentists have marched together. You can follow the news at BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera; France 24 and Washington Post.
Catalonia never again will be the same.

Festival on Catalan identity in Northern Catalonia

Aire Nou de Baó has held nine editions of "Identi'CAT". It is a festival in the village of Baó, Northern Catalonia, under French administration. Singes in Catalan language, as well as popular traditions as human castles, fire feasts and several concerts were in the programm. The festival  lasted for four days. This year edition was dedicated to the gipsy culture wich is particularly strong ion Northen Catalonia. Gipsies in Northen Catalania has storng roots in the region and has preserved Catalan culture in spite of the French impositions.

Demonstration "We are a nation. We decide." convoked

As a clear answer to the cutting of the self-government statute by an Spanish tribunal, Òmnium Cultural has convoked a demonstration in Barcelona next July 10th. It will be a show of strength of the Catalan people. All the Catalan parties have supported it from the monarchists of the Carlist Party to Marxists of EUiA. A 90 % of the Catalan parliament also supports it. Only extreme unionists are opposed to the defense of the legal text approved by the Catalan people by a clear majority.
The majority of Catalan independentist parties support the demonstration and will march, side by side, with the autonomist forces. Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, Candidatura d’Unitat Popular are the biggest to march with autonomist forces as CiU and PSOE.

Aplec de la Plana, a good festival

The Aplec de la Plana is an organization totally independent, not tied to any political party or implied, to any other association, nonprofit, volunteer base that works with a strong youth and amateur nature. Even so, within a unitary act, they have gathered around this project, most organizations prefer our territory here in the Plana Baixa (Low Plain) an extremely important region of the Valencian Country. They are the Youth Cultural Action Valencia (ACPV), the PD yellow star, the Association for audiovisual Red Point, Tirant lo Rock Collective, Sonora Association Made in Onda, Onda Folk Group, the Association Helmet Historical Group WidgetLand Onda, Arteatre the SEPC, the Youth Assembly of the Plain (CAJEI), or the JERPV, Young Block (Bloc Jove) among others.

The festival has spent seven editions throughout the region, with a party that has been organized on various occasions in Vilareal or other locations as Borriana the villages, Almenara and this year will be held for the second time in Onda. It just tries to publicize and promote our culture in all areas, giving an overview not only from tradition but also with all the modernity and dynamism of our time, with a very varied range of activities, from visual arts, theater, correfocs, traditional dances or the dissemination of our writers. But if something stands for the Aplec of the Plain and attracts thousands of visitors for the quality of the bands involved. The festival overcomed more than 3,000 attendees in 2009.

This year the festival will be attended by: La Línia XYZ, Naia, Almorranes Garrapinyaes, Malnom, Rapsodes, Tom Bombadil, Pirat’s Sound Sistema (The Bitch Deaf).

Republicat

On July 3 it will be held in Barcelona "Republicat." It is a festival organized by the Barcelona section of Repulican Left of Catalonia before ERC nowadays “Esquerra”. There are alot of activities: puppets, zip, inflatables, painting workshop for children, tuners, heck, dance, cricket, a chat called "Self-determination is democracy" and a meeting where Joan Puigcercós will be the speaker. The price of lunch is $ 5.