Catalonia, witness the change of strategy?
- There were many who believed that a new time of political confrontation would begin in Catalonia last Friday. In some sectors (Left Independence groups) the situation of tension could be sown and the hope and fear of living the hardest day lived in Barcelona in recent years was expected. Many people outside the militancy also thought that something new, more radical and in a sense stronger came. The tension was evident.
There were not a few who saw the possibility of seeing the streets on and giving a stronger police response than ever before. At a time when the process of national liberation is gradually being extinguished, the implementation of article 155 would probably strengthen the process, and aware of this, the independence left is made up of both the Defence Committees of the Republic (CoR) and the internal independence left (the independence left is made up of several organizations: The Cup, the COS, the Endavant, the Arran, the SEPC and the Solidarity Alert also see a need for a situation of direct confrontation.
From the outset, however, it became clear (despite moments of tension and police burdens) that the logic of consensus was imposed between the protesters and the Mossos, as has already happened in other cases (such as 1 October last year and today). The actions of the demonstrators were not particularly hard. Although several containers and fences were dumped and thrown at the Mossos (stones, bottles, pastures, eggs…), no attack strategy was carried out. On the part of the Mossos, in general, the loads were not very hard. There were 77 wounded, including 35 Mossos. For their part, the Mossos d'Esquadra arrested seven people in the same city of Barcelona.
Friday may be the first example of a change of strategy in some sectors within independence, but it was not fully realized. The real force that the independence left has is small, and within independence a large majority has opted to develop the process by a peaceful and non-radical way. However, as reality has shown, the process itself is dying, and it is necessary to strengthen the radical end (the currents that the Republic seeks to build by disobedience or other radical actions), because only in that way will it become a credible threat and, therefore, the key that can open the doors to a possible referendum.
Summary of the day:
Around five o'clock in the morning, the Defense Committees of the Republic began to cut several roads in Catalonia, including the AP7, at several points in the Catalan capital. At 8:30 in the morning, the Council of Ministers was held with three columns that approached the Llotja de Mar building.
In the case of the column departing from Via Laieta, initially there were situations of tension, but the Mossos raised the first police line and the protesters reached the police line surrounding the Llotja de Mar building.
In the case of the Via Laietana column, there were hardly any situations of tension, at least in the early hours of the morning. On the other hand, in the column around Drasaness there were several loads of policies. Taking advantage of the calm atmosphere in Via Laieta, a significant number of people approached Carrer del Portal de Santa Madrona, as the situation was “warmer”. There were a number of police burdens and a replica of demonstrators.
After relaxing the atmosphere at Carrer del Portal de Santa Madrona (nothing more than the Mossos left the area), the Carrer de la Fusteria became a point of great tension. There, several police burdens and the counter-burden of the protesters lived quite vigorously.
Although around 14:15 hours the CoR gave the order to dismantle the columns, police charges occurred in Via Laietana.
At around 18:00, a demonstration against the Council of Ministers began from the Paseo de Gracia under the motto “Tombem el Règim”. As reported by the Urban Guard, some 40,000 people have gathered. On the contrary, according to the organizers, the death toll in the 2010 edition was double. The demonstration ended at around 20:00 hours.
After the end of the demonstration, a concentration of protest was concentrated in front of the police station of the Mossos de Les Corts to ask for the freedom of the seven people detained in Barcelona. This concentration ended the political activity of the day.
Walk from a train station, two friends and a hug. This hug will be frozen until the next meeting. I'll come home, he'll stay there. There, too, will be free the painful feeling that injustice wants us to catch. Jesús Rodríguez (Santa Coloma de Gramenet, 1974) is a journalist,... [+]
