Esquerra’s spokeswoman Marta Vilalta stresses that “the international community also calls for and expects this negotiation to proceed” and calls on all pro-independence forces “not to forsake any opening.”

Catalonia’s National Day, the Diada, “has once again been a collective, national triumph; we have once again demonstrated the strength of the independence movement,” said Esquerra Republicana Deputy Secretary-General and spokesperson Marta Vilalta at a press conference. For Esquerra, Saturday’s rally in Barcelona once again demonstrates the demand by a majority of Catalan society for a democratic resolution to the conflict between Catalonia and Spain, and spurs the resumption of the negotiating table between the two governments scheduled for this week.

“We have staged the very largest protest in the context of the pandemic; it is an epic milestone that shows persistence and perseverance in the struggle to make the Catalan Republic possible,” Ms Vilalta insisted. And therefore “it is time to resume the negotiation process between Catalonia and the Spanish State” she contended, in order to find a democratic solution that “must involve a plebiscite and the end of repression.”

In addition, the spokeswoman stressed that this negotiation is not only endorsed by a large majority of Catalan citizens—“clearly evidenced in the elections”—but that the international community also calls for and expects this negotiation to proceed in order to resolve the conflict.” That is why “we believe it to be our duty to lead this negotiated response, because both the citizens and the international community demand it, and it will allow us to add complicities at home and abroad” she said.

To sum up, for Esquerra Republicana the negotiation with the state is an opportunity and “one of the best ways” to achieve independence. In this regard, Ms Vilalta calls upon all pro-independence forces “not to forsake any opening that may bring us closer to the realisation of the Catalan Republic.”

Esquerra’s spokeswoman finally wished all the students and teachers a good start to the school year, and that “having open and healthy schools means the accomplishment of the whole educational community; a collective, shared and national accomplishment.”