The revolution dels somriures. Why have you named your speech? It is
the motto used to explain the current independence, which has its social and social base. Until recently, independence was related to the fight against Franco, to the movements of other peoples, etc. Today's pro-independence mobilizations are very familiar, people have fun, they laugh at pictures. This is the origin of the laughter revolution.

The communicative work of the ANC should be highlighted. What characteristics would you highlight?
Our communicative work is closely linked to the expansion of the ANC in society, to the large number of our partners and volunteers and, therefore, to the capacity to mobilize citizenship.

The statutes provide that in order to maintain the independent character, the Assemblea cannot receive public contributions. Thus, the ANC has few economic resources, but, in both quality and quantity, the human capital of the ANC is very rich, which compensates for the situation. The retired person who places the information table in the places and days that is necessary, but also people with a lot of training; journalists who offer their knowledge and capacity at the disposal of the movement, audiovisual experts… This has made the ANC have a higher dimension in relation to the communicative level. For example, each year we organise a comprehensive information and promotion campaign for September 11, we create and move a lot of materials. This great work is possible thanks to the multitude that is willing to take on, without which it would be impossible.

The political commitment to placing a special emphasis on communication is clara.Por example, in the communicative follow-up we make of the Diada
– I don’t have exact data – we only spend 5% of what it really does, because the people involved in those tasks is impressive.

We have a lot of influence on social media. The accounts of the ANC of Twitter (171,000 followers) and Facebook (177,000) are among the associations with the highest number of followers of Catalonia. Thanks to the work of the volunteers, we have an active and lasting presence in many peoples, which has enabled us, for example, to conduct intensive information campaigns in areas where independence is weaker or to publish half a million copies of a newspaper without wasting a penny on distribution.

In short, the commitment, the enthusiasm and the immense work of the volunteers are the keys to the ANC’s great ability to reach the people. This sets us apart from the other political groups or parties.

How are so many people organized?
There's a lot of people in ANC. It is a cross-cutting organization, open to anyone who defends independence by democratic and peaceful means.

It's very widespread at the territorial level. In most of the towns and neighborhoods of Catalonia there is a group of the ANC. The groups are autonomous to start the campaign that is deemed appropriate. The national secretariat consists of 77 people, elected by the ballot box, who have participated in the elections. In addition, some voluntary partners work in commissions: communication, mobilization, political, international relations, etc. There are also sectoral assemblies in which concrete aspects are worked: migrants for independence, workers…

Responsibilities at the national level have been limited by three mandates over a year. This year it has been extended to two two-year terms of office. We have 20 paying workers, because of the size of the ANC, there are few.

What have been the most effective ANC campaigns?
Undoubtedly, the main initiative is the Diada, because of its great national and international projection and because we have made our specific requests known through 11 September. In May we started organizing the mobilization and accordingly we prepared the annual work of the Assemblea.

In addition to the previous ones, we have carried out other strong campaigns. For example, in Catalonia we have a huge problem with the Renfe train network. Their investment is very low and problems arise almost every day. At the RENFE stations we have provided massive information on the possibilities offered by a state of its own to deal with this problem.

How is Europe’s largest political demonstration organised?
(Laughter) I'm really excited. That is the only possible explanation. This is a gigantic mobilisation that many people need. From the most ‘brown’ coordinator to the volunteer distributing the water bottles where it comes from, everyone behaves very responsibly. And that's why it goes ahead. All works are decentralized and divided into small units to accelerate and improve their functioning

As far as the economic level is concerned, I will give an example. In the 2014 Diada we spent less money than the Catalan Civil Society (group against independence and in favour of the unity of Spain) gathered on 12 October of that same year in the Plaza Catalunya more than hundreds of people than in the concentration.

What about communication?
Our view is that everything has to have a story and a message, but we also have to show it well. And it's essential to properly prove that the media, which comes from where they're coming from, can take images easily, so that they're informed well. And, of course, we also have to be able to show well what we have organised. That’s why every September 11 we track our own information through photos, videos, social networks and streaming.

Let me give you an example. At the Diadas we hold an international TV event, we offer images without adaptations, under the Creative Commons license, which we make available to anyone. As a result, the images used by all international televisions are the ones we have recorded.

They have also devoted time to technical developments.
We tried to use innovative formats, yes. In the Catalan Way of 2013 we made Gigafoto, a giant image of the human chain of 400 kilometers, composed of 107,000 photographs made by 800 photographers. In 2014, it was a spelling photo, an aerial photo of the Google Maps type. And a 360-degree video recorded in 2015 that allowed us to see the mobilization from top to bottom.

One of the main reasons why such large formats have been used has been, in the case of the Gigafoto, to ensure that there are people throughout the journey, so that there are no spaces without friends. The fact of taking photos to the metro to metro station allowed there to always be someone to photograph her and someone who could appear in the photo on all the sections of the tour. So we showed the world that the Via Catalana was packed with people from the beginning to the end.

Six months pre-production, 45 minutes on-site work, and six more months post-production to complete the Gigafoto.

Video made in 360 degrees on the occasion of the Last Diada

This political course will be decisive with the announcement of the referendum. What will be the contribution of the ANC?
This year we have something that has never happened: A pro-independence majority in Parliament, ready to develop a pro-independence roadmap with very clear objectives.

The state’s offensive is being much more straightforward and simpler. On the one hand, all Catalan laws that they do not like are being repealed, such as the ban on torturing and killing bulls or equality; the repealed ones are very varied. On the other hand, there is a judicial offense. The former President of the Generalitat, the Councillors of the Generalitat and the President of the Parlament, Carme Forcadell, have been charged. They want to judge Forcadell for allowing them to vote. With barbarities such as this, the Spanish State has become the author of the best pedagogical work for independence.

Until recently, the Assemblea has dedicated itself to asking the Generalitat and the public representatives of Catalonia to come to independence, such as initiating a process or conducting a referendum. After obtaining the independence majority in Parliament, the ANC is currently playing the role of collaborator, supporting initiatives derived from the independence roadmap and publicly denouncing the laws annulled by the Spanish Constitutional Court, as well as supporting the imputed public voters.

What is the general sense of independence after five “historical” years?
“The independence balloon is emptying” is an idea that since the first second has been dispersing the media cave. His speech is in the style of Salvame Delux. “This is terribly wrong,” “This Diad has served no purpose, “they are getting less and less”… and so on. Fortunately, they're a little clumsy. By the way, it was the 13TV that confirmed the success of Via Catalana. Two helicopters were hired to air-etch the spaces that were apparently more difficult to fill the human chain with people. They went in search of the vacuum and eventually became an external confirmation of success.

The reality is not a discouragement, it is that we want independence to be declared immediately. In general, people would like all of this to have been fixed. After all, the root of this “problem” is very simple: to be able to vote and decide. Three or four years ago the mass demonstrations provoked the ‘high,’ and “this is already done” remained in the head of many, but the process has not been as fast as we thought.

The positive aspect is that the process is evolving. It does not stop or backtrack, of course. Year after year, the road is being cleared. Moreover, the extension of the same process has also contributed to the obstinate and undemocratic attitude of the Government of Spain. It has given a boost to the success of the process.

Today there is a real and binding interrogation on the horizon. We are in the right direction.