In the spiritual centre of Catalonia, the Montserrat Monastery, in a solemn act of solidarity with the political prisoners in the presence of prominent representatives of Catalan politics and society, the executive president of Catalonia, the lawyer Quim Torra, presented an excerpt of a text by the habilitated German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, murdered by the National Socialists on 9 April 1945, who belonged to the German resistance against the fascists. The text was written at Christmas 1943 in a German prison. One of the excerpts in Catalan is as follows:
«Lord, I hear your call and follow it. Help me! Holy Spirit, give me the faith that protects me from despair, from passions and vice! Give me love for others and for you, which destroys all hatred! Give me the hope that frees me from fear.»
For the Catalans, this religious event marks the beginning of an active and determined resistance against the unlawful repression and violence of the Spanish State, which seems to have already prepared a bundle of measures to nip and break in the bud any resistance of the Catalans immediately after the pronouncement of the sentence. Unlike in the Spanish Civil War, however, Spain will not be able in the 21st century to subjugate millions of people by force and break their desire for freedom. If there is one last chance of the Spanish state not breaking up, it is that the verdict on the twelve Catalan political prisoners will consist of a full acquittal, that they will be adequately compensated for the duration of their detention and that criminal investigations will immediately be opened against those responsible for their illegal detention. This would be the only possible measure to put an end to the escalation and perhaps even to the dialogue which the Catalans have always seriously offered. But that is unlikely. As everywhere in Catalonia these days, the people in the Montserrat monastery called loudly for freedom, «Llibertat». How long will the European Union be able to remain deaf without completely losing face?
On 6 October 2019, the Catalan President Quim Torra — Spain will probably also pursue him legally before the end of the year — published a commentary on the platform of the widely read Catalan news agency VilaWeb, which can be read below in English translation.
«Quim Torra (President of the Generalitat de Catalunya):
Let's seize the opportunity to make our dream come true!
A few hours, a few days before the judgment on Catalonia's right to self-determination, we will once again look at ourselves in the mirror, as a society, as a country, as a community that has a duty to prepare a better future for itself and its children. Just as October 1 put us to the test and helped us to assert ourselves with our rights and dignity carved in granite, the judgment of the rulers and leaders of the referendum invites us to give an answer that makes us better, stronger and freer.
And that is everyone's responsibility. First of all, it is the responsibility of the parties and those in power. But it is also the responsibility of a society which does not wait for people to tell it what to do, because it has already become strong and knows that it must watch over civil, social and political rights which it has every right to exercise and enforce. We would not have gone down this path of freedom and self-affirmation if people had not become aware of their strength in coordinated action.
The verdict on our companions, which was brought before a criminal court because they set up ballot boxes two years ago, can change the cycle. It can usher in a new phase in which we take the initiative again, in which repression does not lead us to be cornered and to behave politically defensively. A new phase in which we return to the dynamic of confidence which led us to the best moments of this emancipatory process. A new phase in which generosity and the sense of the country will again stand above the interest of the parties and the struggles for supremacy, which would serve only to administer a supervised and miserable 'autonomy'.
We cannot continue to believe that we should exercise this 'autonomy' granted to us, which is offered to us as a Spanish concession. The judgment will lead us to restore the dynamism of victory, of those who make proposals for the future, of those who debate how we are going to shape the state we are building. We will not broaden our base by asking for permission and waiting for it to be given to us. Only the defence of democracy and the will of the people can lead us to an even broader basis of consensus. The conditions for building a republic of free women and men will never be given to us unless we begin to defend them every day within the framework of our competences.
That is why I should like to make an appeal now, now that we have become better acquainted than ever before with the democratic borders of the Kingdom of Spain. An appeal to the parties that want a free future for Catalonia. A call not to water down the dream. Looking ahead to take the decisions of the present. Now is not the time to think about the elections that may come. We must think about future generations. For them, today's decisions must be made. The quality of our dreams today will determine the quality of life of our children and grandchildren. And now that we know what our dreams are, we must commit ourselves to making them a reality with concrete proposals that restore confidence and strength to all. We must make the Catalan Republic a reality without excuses or fears.
It is quite possible that Catalan society will move like never before to show its rejection of the judgments. I also call on Catalan society to carry out these mobilizations as we have always done: civilized, respectful, peaceful and determined. We must not, under any circumstances, respond to the provocations that may come. We have already seen that the enemies of Catalonia's freedom want us to be violent and aggressive. But we know that the only way to win this fight is through peaceful action and the determination of democratic convictions.
We have come a long way recently. We have not retreated, but we have not progressed as we should have done. And now is the time to resume the road. Let us return to confidence, without deception or mirages, but also without indulgence or unnecessary fighting. As Albert Camus said: Freedom is nothing more than an opportunity to become better. Let us use it. Let us be free because it is the only way to attain freedom. That is, independence.»
Source:
https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/aprofitar-loportunitat-per-no-malbaratar-el-somni/