“We’ve hit rock bottom“, assumes Dolors Feliu, the new leader of the ANC when asked about the lack of pro-independence unity. “Now we’ll get up,” she adds hopefully. The truth is that the Diada of 2022 will not go down in the history of the powerful mobilizations of independence, except for a major surprise. All the actors launch reproaches: the ANC against all the parties for lack of project, ERC makes Junts ugly with its constant criticism; Junts does defend being in tune with the ANC and asks the ERC to make its commitment, the CUP reproaches the ANC for proposing “magic recipes” and calls for a social agenda. Òmnium tries to bring peace and does not share the ANC’s criticism of the parties. All of them have spoken for EL PERIÓDICO.
Feliu makes a more critical description than ever about the situation of political independence. “The independence parties have no project to achieve independence, some verbalize the desire for independence more than others, who do not verbalize it as much, who do not even want to talk about self-determination & rdquor ;.
“All the parties that were voted as independentistas do not have a project to achieve independence”
Dolors Feliu, president of the ANC
The leader of the ANC anticipates the forceful message that she will launch on the Diada: “If the parties do not have a project, independence will be achieved in another way, we will go ahead of the parties with the list [electoral] civicbecause the independence vote will not be held captive by the parties.” Feliu admits that the atmosphere is tense but believes that this could spur participation in the Diada.
CKD You can see the attacks coming, but the Republicans have gotten used to it and see the ANC as a non-neutral actor. Esquerra emphasizes that this time Junts is also the object of the reproaches of the Assemble. In any case, the Republican spokeswoman Martha Vilalta He asks that the Diada respect the “plurality, transversality and openness” of the independence movement and denounces “the exclusive, closed will that some want to foster.” Vilalta admits, like Feliu, that the atmosphere is “rarefied” and that “we are not in a moment of pro-independence harmony”, but replies to the ANC: “We do not share the thought that there is no project, ERC has a project that in the Parliament is the majority, the Government has it; whoever does not like it, propose alternatives, we are open to listening to them & rdquor ;.
“The main destabilizing factor is the discrepancies and the internal mess of Junts, ERC leads the country and builds consensus”
Marta Vilalta, deputy and spokesperson for the ERC
Junts respects the ANC’s analysis but does not share it. And above all, what he rejects is the ERC’s idea about the lack of a JxCat proposal: “Junts’ proposal is very clear and it is the one we did in 2016 and 2017, which managed to do 1-O, and 3-O and even 27-O. What it does not consist of is this dialogue strategy based on dejudicialization, because it has to be spoken from a position of strength and based on self-determination and amnesty; let them explain to us [ERC] what is your strategy, Junts’ strategy is very clear & rdquor ;, describes the party’s spokesman Joseph Rius. Rius also admits that the strategic unity, which Junts continues to claim, simply does not exist. And he asks “not to throw things at our heads”. The spokesman is committed to “overcoming the stage of recent times; in most organizations there have been changes in leadership.”
“It is dangerous to explain that independence can be implemented without cost and as if it were a magical transit”
cup
The CUP does not take it for granted by Feliu’s invective either: “It is dangerous to explain that independence can be implemented from one day to the next, without cost and as if it were a magical transit, there must be a conjunction between popular organization, institutions and a moment with transformative potential & rdquor ;, affirms the ‘cupaire’ Mary Sirvent. The CUP is not at all enthusiastic about the civic list suggested by the ANC and is further than ever from the Government. The cupaires bet more on local grassroots organizations. “The pro-independence majority in the Parliament is not being used at the service of a project of national construction and social transformation,” denounces Sirvent.
“It is very difficult to rediscover strategic unity while some dedicate more effort to attacking others than to building work spaces”
Xavier Antic, president of Òmnium
Among so many divergent messages, omnium try to make peace. Xavier Antichleader of the organization, asks “recognize the legitimacy of all the positions of independence and its transversality“. Antich avoids any critical reference to the ANC or the parties, alleging that Òmnium “has never been an anti-political organization” and that what is necessary is to “add” more supporters to the independence movement.
Antich believes that there is more unity than what is inferred from twitter but he is critical: “it is very difficult, if not impossible, to rediscover strategic unity and, therefore, manage to establish shared objectives, while some of the agents dedicate more efforts to attack the other agents than to build common work spaces”. What’s more, he rejects “personalisms” and “partial or party strategies.”
“Let ERC explain its strategy to us, Junts’ strategy is very clear: the one we did in 2016 and 2017”
A long list of conflicts
The list of disagreements between pro-independence parties and entities is long. It ranges from the most recent – the suspension of Laura Borras as president of the Parliament and the controversial actions of the leader of Junts- to the most strategic -divergent options to grow the movement or to exercise self-determination- going through the tactical: what to do to reactivate the mobilization. Add to this the storms on social networks, in which there are not only anonymous insults but open reproaches between deputies or leaders of these organizations.
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Dolors Feliu sees the pro-independence civic list “more feasible” today than a year ago, and is not worried about a possible break between ERC and Junts in the Generalitat: “If the Government is broken and elections are proposed in a plebiscitary key, it will seem good to us“, he reveals. He is also committed to taking advantage of some “repressive” situation of the State to start a spiral of mobilization and achieve secession. Vilalta does not rule it out, but replies: “It is not so simple, you have to take steps, break stone“. And the CUP bets on a conjunction between popular pressure, social agenda and institutional support. “If we don’t move, nothing changesSirvent denounces.
In this context, the actors involved do not rule out a rarefied Diada, the prologue to a convulsive pre-election political course.