Article published at Diari Ara, 14th July 2016
The signatories include Òscar Dalmau, Òscar Andreu, David Fernàndez, Antonio Baños, Uriel Bertran, Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira, Jordi Cabré, Antoni Castellà, Jordi Graupera, Pau Llonch, Elisenda Paluzie and Toni Soler.
The demand of a unilateral referendum on independence (RUI, in Catalan) is garnering greater support in Catalonia. Following the call by the CUP and Demòcrates de Catalunya —and while the ANC is busy holding an internal debate on the issue—, a new manifesto was unveiled on Tuesday demanding a RUI in 2017, just after the bill of juridical transitoriness is passed and as a prerequisite for a declaration of independence, if Yes wins. The manifesto, which is endorsed by about one hundred intellectuals, politicians and culture personalities, can be signed online by anyone wishing to express their support.
Among those who have already signed are radio presenters Òscar Dalmau and Òscar Andreu; script writers Oriol de Balanzó and Tomàs Fuentes; journalist Natza Farré —these five names actually make up nearly the whole team behind La Competència, the popular satirical show on RAC1; Anna Arqué, spokesperson for ICEC (International Commission of European Citizens); former CUP MPs David Fernàndez and Antonio Baños; former SI MP Uriel Bertran; former Catalan minister and ERC leader Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira; writers Jordí Cabré and Enric Vila; Junts pel Sí MP and Demòcrates de Catalunya spokesman Antoni Castellà; philosophy lecturer Jordi Graupera; musician and anti-eviction activist Pau Llonch; Marc Martínez, the actor and theatre director; musicians Roger Mas and Carles Sanjosé; Jordi Muñoz (PhD in Political Science); Elisenda Paluzie, the dean of the College of Business and Economics at the University of Barcelona; journalist and TV produce Toni Soler; and Boaz Vilallonga, who holds a PhD in History and is a visiting lecturer at NY University.
The signatories of the manifesto find it increasingly “hard to understand why the right to self-determination has not been effectively applied yet, despite the results of the local polls, the elections to the Catalan parliament and the recent Spanish elections”. Even though the vote of November 9, 2014 was supposed to be an independence referendum, the event was actually turned into “a participatory process without any political effect”. “Although the Catalan people showed that they were willing to defend their civil rights and disobey the suspensions ruled by the Spanish Constitutional Court, the vote of November 9 was merely a popular rally”, they claim.
The difficulties with the other ways
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Americans For Catalonia 