2023-09-11 12:54:55
The president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, tested positive for covid-19 this Monday, the day of the Day of September 11. Party sources have confirmed that he has suspended his schedule. Catalonia celebrates a Diada marked by the negotiation of the investiture of the acting President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.
Junqueras participated this Sunday in a public event at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), but at night he tested positive for coronavirus, according to Republican sources. He was scheduled to attend the floral laying of his party at the Rafael Casanova monument in Barcelona. Then, at 1:00 p.m., he gave a speech at the ERC event.
This is his third Diada free since he was released from prison in 2021. Junqueras was pardoned for the 1-O conviction and is celebrated with the amnesty in focus as a condition for investiture of the socialist candidate, Pedro Sánchez.
Junqueras has canceled part of his agenda, but will attend the demonstration called by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) in Barcelona with a mask, according to ‘RAC1’.
“Unfortunately, I have tested positive for Covid and out of social responsibility I will not participate in the planned events of this Diada 2023. I encourage everyone to mobilize in the streets in defense of the independence and freedom of our country. Long live Catalonia free!” he wrote.
Diada with amnesty at the center of the debate
The three pro-independence parties with parliamentary representation, ERC, JxCAT and the CUP, arrive divided after Junts decided to leave the Government of Pere Aragonès in October. Despite the fact that relations between them are still marked by tension, ERC and JxCAT now maintain similar positions on the investiture of Sánchez, such as amnesty.
The independence movement arrives at the Diada with said amnesty at the center of the debate and as a condition for a hypothetical investiture. Aragonès has affirmed that the amnesty “by itself does not resolve the conflict of sovereignty with the State” and that it will exist until Catalonia has a referendum. He assures that the amnesty is the “guarantee that no one else will go to prison and that the exiles will return free.”
The holding of a referendum will foreseeably be one of the central demands of the independence movement today. The Minister of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, has shown her confidence that this Diada “the strength” of the independence movement will be evident, especially in facing negotiations.
Carles Puigdemont also warned, after setting his conditions, that the success of the talks would depend on progress in the self-determination portfolio.
What is the Diada and what is celebrated?
Catalonia celebrates the Diada this Monday. It is a date with great historical and cultural significance. It has its roots in a historical event, which took place on September 11, 1714 during the War of the Spanish Succession.
At that time, Catalan forces took Barcelona and put an end to the autonomy of Catalonia. The fight is commemorated to remember the defense of the city when it fell into the hands of Philip V’s troops.
Since then, it has been celebrated since 1886. Today, the Diada is celebrated as a day of unity and vindication of the Catalan culture and language. During this day, festive events, concerts and information events are held throughout the autonomous community. Among them, the offerings to Rafael Casanova, a Spanish jurist and last ‘Conseller en Cap’.
#Oriol #Junqueras #tests #positive #covid #suspends #schedule #Diada #events #morning