PRESS DOSSIER: 10.000 in Brussels for self-determination of the Catalan Nation

10.000 in Brussels for self-determination of the Catalan Nation

Help us make a firm step towards independence

Inntroduction and objectives

The Catalan Nation is a nation without a state with over one thousand years of history, and most of whose territory is now within the Spanish State. It has an official population of 13 million inhabitants, with its own language, broad, comprehensive literature, and a service- and industry-based economy with a GDP of $482 bn. representing 30.5% of Spain's GDP and a per capita GDP of over $37,000.

Historically, the Catalan nation has been a great European power, and in the 14th century was the most powerful nation in the Mediterranean. However, in the early 18th century, Catalonia lost its independence in a war against an alliance between Spain and France.

For over 300 years now, the Catalans have not ceased trying to recover their freedom, and even through wars, political persecution and forty years of fascist dictatorship during which its language and culture were downtrodden, the Catalan identity remains firm and we are unwavering in our claim to recognition for our own state in Europe.

Catalan civil society, in the form of cultural, sports and civic institutions, constantly takes action in initiatives to demand our right to self-determination as a European people.

Ten Thousand in Brussels for Self-Determination of the Catalan Nation is an example of aSociety 2.0 initiative. It arose in response to the article Perplex, jo? (Perplexed, me?) posted by Enric Canela in the Bloc gran del sobiranisme (Sovereignty's Great Blog) on the 6th of September, 2008, and the readers' comments, from which the initiative immediately began its propagation via a Facebook group and our deumil.cat website.

This platform is the basis from which we are working together for the consolidation and eventual success of our aim: we are all going to Brussels on the 7th of March to our common call: "We want our own State", claiming independence for our country.

We want self determination for the Catalan nation to figure on the international agenda and that of our nation's political parties, driven by our force, that they declare formal support for independence and include it in their programmes. Furthermore, we want them to commit to working towards achieving it.

Who we are addressing

The initiative for Ten Thousand in Brussels for self-determination of the Catalan Nation is of atransversal nature and is totally open to the individual citizen as well as to the associations that make up our civil society that show their commitment to the defence of the Catalan language, its culture and nation, and especially to the citizen platforms that have lately stood out in the largest mobilizations in response to the aggressions to our freedom, claiming the right to decide. But we are also addressing professionals, trade unionists and social agents who have understood that the defence of their positions and of their industries goes hand in hand with greater freedom and capacity for the country to decide its own policies.

But above all, we are conscious that we are mainly addressing Catalan citizens who, tired of their not being heard, want to make clear with their own voice in Europe and the world our wish to be an independent nation.

This project, which is not subject to any particular political group or party, is open to allindividuals, organisations and platforms to work together, maintaining their independence, but with a common objective: the Independence of the Catalan Nation.

Why now?

Now that we live in an ever more globalized world, Catalonia, and by extension, all the Catalan-speaking countries, is coming to a difficult, disconcerting crossroad. The constant submission during three-hundred years of our nation by the Spanish State constitutes the greatest burden for our development, and further, it endangers our survival as a nation within Europe where only States are recognised.

The time has come. The cul-de-sac we have been led into by the recent Statutory reforms, the Miravet Statute, passed in 2006 after several serious cutbacks (and which is currently in the hands of the Spanish Constitutional Tribunal which clearly intends to limit the competencies still further), ought to make the whole of our country's political class and civil society that wants a better future think very seriously. The time has come for the Catalans to decide on our future, it is time to become sovereign as a fully recognised nation in the international context, so we can deploy all our collective capacities.

Over the last years, the political environment, whether Catalan, Spanish or European, has taught us that there is no other alternative for us to be Catalans with the same rights and duties as other European peoples who have their own state. That is why we have to go to Brussels to demonstrate our will to become a European Union member state.

Organization

In order to make this event possible, we need the participation and the commitment of the largest possible number of people and organisations. So as to coordinate all the activities and, above all, to guarantee the success of the event, the platform has been constituted by a council with limited membership, and is responsible for the coordination of the action points in order to get as many Catalans to Brussels next March 7th.

Each member responsible for an action point is free to create as many volunteer networks as they deem necessary, and each volunteer network can set up further networks. The council is permanently in touch via the deumil.cat website.

The action points set up so far are:

• Relations with Institutions and Political Parties
• Relations with other Catalan pro-Sovereignty and Cultural Platforms
• Logistics and Transport to Brussels
• Communication and Promotion
• Territorial Deployment of the Volunteer Network. One delegate is planned for each Catalan town and also in others cities worldwide.
• Virtual Management and the Internet

The documents required for the establishment of the Deumil.cat association have been submitted to the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan government).

Participation in the project

The success of the project lies in the participation of the greatest possible number of people ready to work during the coming months in order to mobilise thousands of Catalans to take part in the demonstration in the streets of Brussels.

We are therefore requesting your commitment to this project, whether you can attend personally or not. There are many ways in which you can act and collaborate: making the march known via the media, preparation of public events far and wide, organising activities, making contacts with the press and other media, attending meetings with volunteers, etc. Any activity will help with making the project publicly known and making people aware of the situation.

One example is signer-songwriter Gerard Sesé's chant or hymn for the "Som 10.000 a Brussel·les" initiative, which you will find on You Tube, MySpace, Facebook and which you can also download from the Deumil.catwebsite.

There is also a promotional video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLYj6NY-a8U&eurl=http://deumil.cat/index.php?;action=login2

You can register at the deumil.cat site, joining the sections or action points. Above all, we request volunteers to set up territorial networks, not only in the Catalan-speaking countries, but also worldwide.

Each of the territorial delegates will be responsible for communicating information on the project, preparing public or media events in the territory, and above all, filling a coach, a plane or a train, depending on the particular demand and the offer being made ready by the Logistics and Transport section.

Each delegate is totally free to mobilise their fellow citizens, as long as they use the material and the information made available on the deumil.cat website (Catalan) and http://catalanstate.blogspot.com/(English)

The ‘Cause' created in Facebook will be maintained to send messages and communicate easily and quickly. But for discussions, contributions, materials and documentation, please use the website.

We firmly believe that, thanks to new technologies, particularly the distributed social networks around the territory; we will contribute to making a firm step forward towards independence of our nation.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Addresses & contacts

Territorial Coordination: extensio@deumil.cat

International: casalscatalans@deumil.cat

Press: premsa@deumil.cat

Virtual Admin: admin@deumil.cat

Other Issues: correu@deumil.cat

There were nearly 200 territorial delegates upon writing this document (February 2009); we need many more.

You can register at our site: http://deumil.cat/ Click on Enregistrar-se. (Register)

If you want to collaborate in spreading the word and recruiting more volunteers in your town and neighbourhood, go to Delegats Territorials Països Catalans (més...) or to

Mapa centres territorials to see if there is already a territorial delegate (where you can comment on your availability). If there is no one, you can start a new subject, to volunteer, at Crear nou tema.

To post on the site, you must have registered.

Once your readiness has been confirmed, we will add you to the official list of territorial delegates.

Join our initiative!