UEFA wants to sanction with 40,000 € FC Barcelona after the independence flags displayed against Bayer Leverkusen, after an initial fine of 30,000 € for the same thing at 2015 Champions League final in Berlin. Present at the stadium, UEFA delegate, Karl-Erik Nilsson, standing president of The Sweden Football Federation and ex-international referee, took note of what happened and pictures of the wide deployment of independence flags throughout the game, especially at minutes 17 and 14 seconds when Barça’s fans make a cry for independence (1714 is the year when Catalonia lost it’s Independence).

It was also revealed that among the response actions prepared there is a letter from a group of FC Barcelona member for the Catalan MEPs to ask UEFA to modify it’s disciplinary rules so they don’t violate the right of freedom of expression.

More information at: http://blocs.mesvilaweb.cat/balutxo/?p=268230

On June 14th 1925, F.C. Barcelona organized a game in tribute to Orfeó Català (Catalan Choral Society), who had just came from a tour in Italy. The match was played against Jupiter and at half a band from British Royal Marine played the Spanish and English hymns. Then playing “Marcha Real”, the whole stadium whistled and for this F.C. Barcelona received a sanction of six months of closure of the stadium.

In 2009, despite the censorship of the Spanish Television against the boycott of the Bourbon Spanish anthem, and its attempts to focus on the only Basque supporter that seemed identified, the massive whistle from Catalans and Basques got to choke the anthem.

In 2011 the Spanish anthem and Joan Carlos I were whistled very clearly at the King’s Cup final between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Mestalla and year later in anticipation that the noise would multiply by two (the final was between Athletic Bilbao and F.C. Barcelona) the level of the speakers was increased to maximum decibels at Valencia’s stadium, which did not prevent the censorship of RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television).

In 2014 TVE continued with the tradition of politicizing the King’s Cup final, and besides the censorship of the whistle of the national anthem and the Spanish Bourbons, launched the campaign #unidosporlacopa, #unitedforthecup, (one of the slogans for the campaign “Let what football united, no one separate”), where they even gave away the final’s balls to the participants that sent the best photos of friendship between the “rivals, but united by the cup”.

In recent years some of the Catalan fans who booed the Spanish anthem were attacked by the Spanish police, who always uses a similar technique: if usually addresses F.C. Barcelona fans when they are going or returning from the bathroom, so they cannot be helped by their friends, and then they release the version where the detainee is the one who assaulted the police. This year the Spanish Football League warned that they will also join and add sanctions against the whistles to the king.

The author of the music for the two songs from the simple Visca la Terra! And the lyrics of Cançó del Tinell, Song of Tinell, is Marcel Casellas (the first song from the single, Països Catalans, Catalan Countries, has the lyrics by Àlvar Valls), who is also author of much of the fragment Dansa de la Terra (and as mentioned, the slogan "In-inde-independence"). What hasn’t been published on the disc (by the recomandation of the attorney Ignatius Doñate, who is the singer for two songs of the simple album), is people shouting “strike very strong, strike very strong… Terra Lliure strike very strong”, but the tune without words and other slogans (including the famous “creation” of Casellas) were finally been put on the single edited by the Comities of Solidarity with the Catalan Patriots, in collaboration with the Movement for the Defence of the Land.

For the first time in Gràcia a candidature holds open primaries. In this case, to choose the persons that will represent the project that started at the Municipal Popular Meetings. Although is a collective project which avoid individualism, it’s a way of democratizing the classic allocation of councilors.

The direct election of the District Council has been a long-standing demand of the local movement in Barcelona and Gràcia. Now, we move from paper to action.

The candidates that the whole neighborhood of Gràcia can vote have emerged form an open process started at The Open Assembly of February 6 in La Torna, which has been extended until Saturday 14. Therefore, it has also been avoided a vote with pre-established proposals, as anyone could have joined.

Methodology

- Every Gràcia neighbor age 16 and above can exercise their vote, prior identification with the ID or the municipal register. Paperless persons can also participate in the vote. There will be a census to avoid double vote over different districts.

- There has to be granted 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively to the 5 candidates for Barcelona. There has to be granted 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively to the 5 candidates for Gràcia.

- The counting of votes will take place on Wednesday at 22h at La Torna. The results for Gràcia will be published the next day.

Tuesday the vote will be held at the Vila de Gràcia Independence Athenaeum – La Barraueta, from 18h to 22h at Plaça del Raspall and Wednesday at the Popular and Independence Athenaeum – La Rotna, from 19h to 22h, at 37th Sant Pere Martir Street.

The candidates

For Barcelona:

M. José Lecha. Health worker at Sant Pau Hospital. FTC-IAC activist.

Maria Rovira. Linked to the youth movement of Barcelona at CAJEI and Arran. Spokesman for the Municipal Popular Meeting

Òscar Simón. Anticapitalist activist, interim professor and member of the yellow assembly.

Josep Garganté. TMB bus driver and and labor activist at COS.

David Caño.Poet and schoolteacher in Sants. Member of USTEC.STEs (IAC). Co-promoter of Crida Constituent.

Isabel Chacón. Public health activist and coordinator of the Municipal Popular Meeting program’s priorities.

For the district:

M. Antònia Arnau. Neighbor of Camp d’en Grassot and member of Marea Pensionista de Gràcia. Member of the Bolivarian Assembly of Barcelona and Ithaca, an internationalist organization.

Ernest Gutiérrez. Neighbor of Vila de Gràcia. Member of Popular and Independence Athenaeum – La Torna and of the Multireferèndum promoter commission. Participant of the ethical code committee of the Municipal Popular Meeting.

Quim Serra. Neighbor of Camp d’en Grassot. Student. Participated in “Where are you going Gràcia?” and co-founder of the Youth Assembly of Camp d’en Grassot.

Ramon Ortiz. Neighbor of Vila de Gràcia. Member of Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia and of the commission Fest Major del Carrer Progrés.

Isa Garnika. Neighbor of Vila de Gràcia and member of Marea Pensionista de Gràcia. Militant of Endavant and CGT. Public health worker.

The concentration has been accompanied by the music of the drums and “dolçaina” which made people quiver during the 5 minutes of silence. Moreover, there have been two exceptional facts that supported the act: a group of runners headed by Pedro Díaz ran 100 km. This is part of the action “100 km, 100 concentrations”. Many of the participants were citizens who want to express their solidarity with the relatives of the 43 victims in the tragic accident.

Some of the things said during the reading of the manifesto were: “We explained that the Parliamentary Commission was not objective, that the Popular Group didn’t allow all the documents were studied nor the suggested people by the other groups taken into account, thus the only considered information was the one given by the Popular Party (Partit Popular). Also, that it was the shortest in the history of the Corts, only 5 days of research, and that the people appearing before the court who didn’t belong to the FGV only based their opinion on the information given in the
press”……”Still, they stated that the commission was correct”.

Later, as the members of the AVM3J reminded “we knew that the report made by the HM&SANCHIS was an assignment by Marisa Gracia, with the questions that the Popular Group would ask as well as the answers that the Ferrocarrils de la
Generalitat technicians and managers should answer. Still, both Alberto Fabra and Isabel Bonig repeated the Commission was correct”…

The manifesto continued “ even after knowing the FGV hid the results got in the Occupational Hazards Audit in 2006, which said that the FGV didn’t act according to the legislation, and that Vicente Contreras, Explotation Manager of the FGV, hid another report that stated the train involved in the accident had obsolete technology, replacement pieces being difficult to find.”

“The fact that the court expert lied was not important for them either. He said that train hadn’t derailed before. Luis Domingo Apeluz, Head of the Taller Valencia Sud, also lied when he said that the black box could only be read from the Valencia Sud offices and that the data was removed after being read” but these lies were again ignored. That’s why the AVMeJ stated these were “lies and more lies”.

The reading of the manifesto finished by criticizing the fact president Fabra and Consellera Bonig were happy to say they had collaborated with Justice, “another lie” said the AVM3J, “because if one is silent and doesn’t sanction these acts, this is not collaboration with justice. Silence becomes accomplice. How long will this last?”

We got here through a space of convergence of people from different areas, agents and political and social struggles, that have been found I various Municipal Popular Meetings (TPM). At the last one, it was decided to deepen the articulation of a political separation in Barcelona and begin a process of incorporation as a municipal candidature, under the identifying principles of the separation, already approved in previous meetings.

List and program

Following the deliberative assembly’s methodology of active participation and empowerment, during the month of February, the candidature will promote open assemblies in neighbourhoods and districts to decide the electoral list and the program at a local level.

The proposal of the list’s preparation has been done under criteria such gender equality, group project of representative persons from the districts and not presentation to the list, but proposal, and if the candidate is accepted, has to agree and accept the code of ethics, the principals of political intervention and the politic program emerged from the Municipal Popular Meetings (TPM).

The lists are made through a process of open deliberative assemblies, where 5 persons will be chosen to head the list, 20 heads for the district list (whom will compete for the district councillor position), 15 persons representing the different struggles and 3 symbolic representatives.

It will be during the 4th Municipal Popular Meeting, held on February 28, when it will be decided the order of the persons nominated to head the list and the rectification of the electoral list from the open assemblies and working groups of the programed priorities. There will also be presented for validation the municipal and districts political program, the announcement of theme days for redressing the city, the organizational structure of the candidacy and the final ratification of the code of ethics.

CUP-Capgirem Barcelona bid aims to promote a municipal project that works for the districts (and their people) and not the other way around. “A process that has no intention of replicating existing spaces, on the contrary, it’s also an exercise of recognition of all those spaces which, in the current social, political and economic context, also share the need and desire to promote a convergence of movements, struggles and unorganized citizens. It’s not about creating electoral nodes in the districts, but to strengthen the associations of those and promote a common vision, at city level, that inspires us to work together to redress Barcelona” have pointed at the press conference the spokesmen of the candidature.

As an answer to the triple crisis in our country, the national, social and democratic one, this process supports the formation of a candidature for the September elections. One of the political objectives is the rift with the legal and political State framework and the opening of a a constituent process. This should put an end to the relationship with the capitalist social basis and should start the creation of a new institution that works for the popular classes.

 

In the Catalan Countries, there have been different actions such as demonstrations and reports to show the disapproval for many arrests. Now though, further steps that go beyond the symbolic support are considered necessary. In this sense, solidarity should become commitment. That’s the reason why now, the CUP-AE and the association “Friends of Euskal Herria” want to collect the funds needed to pay for the 10th January demonstration in Bilbo with of a crow founding project named “From solidarity to commitment” by means of the platform “TotSuma”. The money needed
to pay the expenses of the infrastructure for the demonstration can not be paid now.

Moreover, money for the defence as well as the popular support are necessary for the recent arrests. Other expenses are also for the support of the national trade Unions in Euskal Herria bearing in mind that the base of LAB suffered material damage. Therefore, help of the people who understand the political situation in the Basc Country is needed not only to put an end to this kind of policial and politico-judicial actions but also against the harassment of the civil, political rights and trade unionism.

Last Saturday ,10th of January, about 80.000 people lit and released colorful lights which wove a solidarity net. Each light has been given a symbolic price of 10 cents, our minimal contribution. “Lititng these lights again and therefore collecting 8.000 euros, not forgeting though that the mobilization cost was much higher and this sum is not enough” as both associations state.

The money collected with this crowd founding project will be sent straight to the bank account opened in Euskal Herria by SARE for this purpose. For this reason, as the delivery of the money can’t be given individually, the associations in the Catalan Countries will be the places to collect the rewards.

If you wish to collaborate by giving materials for the rewards, don’t hesitate and write to totsuma@cup.cat.

the CUP deputy David Fernàndez declared “today, we have armored the Consultation”, and that the deputies “assume the possible consequences that may arise from the actions”. Joan Herrera (ICV) stated that “there’s no way out without voting” and that discretion is something important to restart the preparation of the 9N Consultation, so the next actions to take will be seen the following days and hours. We’ll take every step normally”. The vice-president of the Government, Joana Ortega (UDC) stressed the importance of the unity of the parties that support the Consultation.

Miquel Bruch, president of the AMI and mayor of Premià de Mar, started the first speech by saying “we are the great majority, 920 city councils joined with our diversity, as Catalonia itself, a rich and diverse country”. Buch also stated that the local world will support the president and said that “when you turn round, we’ll be behind you”.

Besides, the president of the AMI and mayor of Vic, Josep Maria Vila d’Abadal, explained they have acted according to what “our people wants”. He also mentioned the fact that many citizens ask them “whether we will overcome the difficulties” and express their wish of “not giving up”. “From now on, as an answer to the above question, we can answer “yes, we will overcome the difficulties”.

The mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, was the next to speak. He pointed out the image of unity given outside and the role of the Catalan capital in the process. “In my opinion, the image of Barce-lona next to this movement gives us a special strength and makes the world understand the strength of a whole country”.

Artur Mas spoke last, remarking that the view of the act will be part of the country’s history, and that the mayors who have taken part, as representatives of the people of Catalonia, will be the main characters.” He also thanked the mayors and town councillors for their hard work, and said “without this work, the country wouldn’t endure.”

The anthem El Cant dels Segadors, sung by the Coral Sant Cugat del Vallès, closed the act. The mayors pointed up the poles that symbolize the local authorities and called for “Independence”.

Recalling 1918

The delivery of the agreements of the different town halls takes place just 96 years after the con-centration of 1.046 mayors at Plaça Sant Jaume. The concentration showed the people’s support to the Generalitat in favor of the autonomy, process that ended with the basis of the first autonomical project.

At the same time, in Plaça del Vi in Girona, about 5.000 people expressed their rejection to the precautionary suspension of the consultation issued by the TC. The president of the ANC in Girona, Josep Bosch, started the event with a speech: he recalled both the low investment that the Spanish government has earmarked for Catalonia in the State budget provided by the Minister Montoro that same day, and the fact that “Rajoy thinks he has already won, but as soon as he sees the citizens’ reaction, he will be thunderstruck, as we will clearly state we want independence”.
Immediately after, the president of Omnium Cultural encouraged the audience to sign as volunteers for the campaign “Ara és l’hora” (Now is the time) because a last effort is necessary to get to the independence. The writer Josep Maria Fonalleras read the “Manifesto for the 9-N consultation” and the actress Txell Arana, together with the theatre director Salvador Sunyer, put up the first poster in Girona for the campaign “Ara és l’hora”.

Despite the rain in many of the towns and villages in the Principat, thousands of people concentrated at 7 pm against the TC sentence: 4500 people in Reus, 4000 in Manresa, Tarragona and Vic, 2500 in Terrassa, 2000 in Berga,Valls and Lleida, 1000 in Olot, 500 in Granollers and Ripoll, 200 in Torredembarra, 100 in Vacarisses, 50 in Vielha, …

The CUP deputy, David Fernàndez, reminded that “this is not Scotland, there are war drums here” and that “we don’t acknowledge any legitimacy to the Constitutional Court … we declare ourselves unsubmissive and insubordinate to the Spanish State”. Fernàndez pointed out that “we will only respect the people’s will, the 79 % of this chamber and the 900 municipalities that have declared themselves in favor of the Consultation”. He has ended by saying that “we won’t ask for permission to be free” and by calling “Visca la Terra” ( Long live our land).

On the mentioned home page, the Principality of Catalonia is separated of Spain, as if it was a member state, and if you put the cursor over the word “Catalonia” appears, and image with the Catalan flag and “7M people”. If you put the cursor over Spain, the Spanish flag appears and you can read “40M people” (this means the habitants of the Spanish State without  Catalonia). If you click over the map of a state additional information is show, as the MEP representing the country in the European Parliament. Another feature of the site is that all the Catalan MEPs are considered representatives of the Catalan State (even if they are members of Spanish parties). This means that MEPs of Ciutadanos (Citizens), PP in Catalonia and PSC are considered to represent the Catalan State (along with ERC, CiU and ICV) and instead Iosu Juariasti (EH Bildu) is considered a Spanish MEP. Some analysts have claimed that the website may be changed soon because of pressure from the Spanish authorities.

She has on her right foot a tattoo an amnesty symbol created by Eduardo Chillida in 1976, and which has served as an icon for this historical claim of a large sector of the Basque society.

Pili Irastorza was retained by Ertzaintza in their own locality, as reported by Naiz.eus. She was stopped for an alcohol control, which was negative, and the autonomic police initially allowed her to continue her route. But when si climbed on her motorcycle, they approached here and asked for her Spanish ID. The explanation was that the police initiated an administrative sanction against her for having a symbol of an “illegal organization”. They were referring on the tattoo she beared on her right foot.

The Basque woman was asking herself: “What can I do? Cut my foot?”

This is not the only catalanophobic “incident” of the last months. Some weeks ago the newspaper Diario Sur published an article entitles “What place has an ad in Catalan in Larios Street?” referring to a poster hanging in a shop in Malaga that reads “Discounts up to 50%. The coolest sales” in Catalan, situated just above a corporate poster saying “Solaris: The ultimate Sunglass Selection” in English. The sunglass company quickly cleared that is was a production mistake “and that the intention was not to offend.”

With all those boycott campaigns, some Catalan businessmen (one of the best known is Joan Font, president of the supermarket chain Bon Preu) declared themselves in favour of the independence and have said repeatedly they have no fear of boycotts.

Llibertat.cat has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Verkami to raise the 12.000 euros necessary to make possible this new audiovisual work, which seeks to recover the politician, writer and activist's figure who was a reference and a tireless fighter for human, social and national rights of the Catalan people. The website of the documentary is xirinacs.llibertat.cat.

The Verkami campaign was launched on 30th of June and in just 10 days has already exceeded the 50% minimum required funding. As over 150 patrons have since made contributions.

Rewards

The budget for completing the documentary is 20.000 euros, 12.000 of which are required for Verkami in exchange for a wide range of rewards, including sending the DVDs with the documentary.

Among the rewards are also copies of Xirinacs’ books, shirts with quotes from Xirinacs, a guided tour at Pla de can Pegot, where the philosophe died, the DVD of the documentary L'Operació Garzón contra l'independentisme català (Garzon Operation against the Catalan Independence), or a place at an introduction course in the philosophical model of Xirinacs.

Llibertat.cat second documentary

It is not the first time Llibertat.cat bets on crowdfunding to make film projects. In 2012 this media conducted a crowdfunding campaign to finance the documentary Garzon Operation against the Catalan Independence, as the year coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the facts. The documentary addressed the repressive movement against the Catalan independence movement, which has chased and tortured 38 separatists who were accused of belonging to Terra Lliure.

During the 40-day fundraising, the project obtained 10.725 euros (6000 were requested) thanks to the contributions of 277 patrons. The successful crowdfunding campaign allowed the work to be translated into Spanish and English. In addition, dozens of presentation of the documentary were made all around the Catalan Countries.

Retrieving the figure of Xirinacs

XIRINACS, the documentary, wants to recover, approach and deepen the figure of Lluís Maria Xirinacs; show how the son of a wealthy family, ordained as a priest of young, ended up being a tireless fighter in its attempts to renew the Church, the state and the political system based on defending human rights.

The work, performed by Zeba Productions, the same produces of the Garzon Operation against the Catalan Independence documentary, will be a chronological evolution of Xirinacs’ life, highlighting all the episodes of his combat against power, in the context in which it happened. El documental will let his friends speak, the people who knew him and will give voice to journalists, sociologists and historians to talk about him and the different stages he lived, contextualizing the presented facts.
The documentary will recover the highlights of Xirinacs’ career and will present the motivations of this former priest, who ended up going to jail, making hunger strikes and confronting power.

Interview with Núria Roig

Llibertat.cat has published in an interview with Núria Roig Esteve, coordinator of the Fundation Randa – Xirinacs, an organization that collaborates for the documentary. The interview with Roig explains that Xirinacs “is still a stranger despite the efforts of many to make him known” and therefore we must dedicate him a documentary.

“During his last years he was censured”, says, and notes that “we now need, more than ever, the lessons the historical memory brings” and “and all the practice already carried out and perfected by those who worked all their lives for those freedoms.” “Lluís Maria Xirinacs offered his knowledge, actions and proposals, for true freedom, even if many have not materialized. We must make this known, especially to youngsters”, she argues.