- The Chief Executive received the accords passed by the Town and City Councils of Catalonia pushing for the right to consultation
- More than 800 of the 920 mayors have express their support for the consultation
- Artur Mas reaffirmed that “what is happening in Catalonia is a democratic challenge in capital letters”, in which “any state would already be sat at the table negotiating the legal means to vote”
The President of the Government of Catalonia, Artur Mas reassured that “as much as they try to silence the people of Catalonia, they will not succeed. We will triumph”. The Chief Executive expressed this message in the Palau of the Generalitat to more than 800 mayors out of the 920 municipalities of Catalonia who approved the accords in favour of people of Catalonia’s right to decide on their political future. Catalonia has 947 municipalities, so more than 95% of them officially support the consultation.
Artur Mas emphasized that the great social and political majorities of Catalonia in favour of the consultation have expressed themselves by holding demonstrations on the streets of Catalonia and through the ballots in the recent elections. Mas also stressed that “we have a majority of votes and a majority in Parliament, there is political consensus, we have a mobilization on behalf of the Catalan people which has been clearly expressed, and now we have the unity of the Catalan municipal Administrations”. “If all of this comes together, the process cannot be stopped” revealed the President.
In this regard, the Head of the Catalan Government, made reference to the meeting held yesterday with the parliamentary groups favouring the right to a consultation and explained that “[yesterday] we were able to agree and today Catalonia, through its municipalities has been able to come together, yet again”. Artur Mas insisted on the importance of unity at these particular moments and emphasized that “it is what our country needs right now and it is the best image we can give”.
The President also used the event to send a message to the State institutions, reminding them that in the elections of November 2012 “the people of Catalonia decided exactly on what is currently being carried out and now there are some who are telling us that we should change our ways, that is to say, to not keep our promise, to not even listen to the voice expressed through the ballots. This we will not do”.
Democratic challenge
On the same note, the President of the Government stated that "what is happening in Catalonia is a democratic challenge in capital letters" as "any state within a democracy and after witnessing the demonstrations which have occurred, the parliamentary majorities that have been brought into being through the elections, the positive way in which the Catalan people have expressed themselves and seeing what is happening at this very moment in the Palau of the Generalitat, would already be sitting at the table negotiating the legal means to vote”.
The President began his speech by noting how the image of today’s ceremony "will make history" and told the mayors of the Catalan municipalities that "you will be the main characters, and above all, so will the people whom you represent, meaning the whole of the Catalan nation”. Artur Mas finished his speech by thanking the mayors not only for their support on the Consultation of November 9th, but for their daily efforts, because with them "you are holding the country together in very complicated conditions”.
The Chief Executive also used the ceremony to thank the president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Carmen Forcadell and the president of Òmnium Cultural, Muriel Casals, both of the also having assisting the event, for "everything that you are doing in the name of freedom, which is not just a grain of sand, but entire beaches in terms of the immense service you are providing this country with".
The event was also attended by the President of the Parliament of Catalonia, Núria de Gispert; the Vice-President of the Catalan Government, Joana Ortega, and the Minister of the Presidency, Francesc Homs, among other authorities. Aside from the speech by President Mas, interventions were also made by the president of the Catalan Association of Municipalities and Mayor of Premià de Mar, Miquel Buch; the president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence and Mayor Vic, Josep Maria Vila d’Abadal and the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias.
Photographs: More images of the event can be seen in the following link: http://gen.cat/mocionsajuntaments
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