How the decentralized September 11 event is being filled, section by section
There will be simultaneous rallies in Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida, Salt, and Berga. Over 100,000 people have registered already.
For the fifth consecutive year, the September 11 Diada (Catalonia’s National Day) will be centered around a call for Catalan independence. The ANC and Òmnium Cultural —the two main pro-independence grassroots groups— have organized a decentralized 11-S in five Catalan cities, where simultaneous events will be held. Their exact nature is yet to be determined. On Wednesday a statement from the organizers indicated that 100,000 people had already signed up. Although the year-on-year figure is smaller than in 2015, the organizers noted the "growing pace" of registrations this week.
The five pillars of the new independent Catalonia
The event will kick off at 17:14 in five different locations:
* Barcelona: on Passeig de Sant Joan, from Arc de Triomf to Diagonal
* Tarragona: on Rambla Nova
* Lleida: on the bank of the Segre River
* Berga: on Passeig de la Pau
* Salt: on Passeig dels Països Catalans
Each city will send its own message for each of the five basic pillars of a hypothetical Catalan state. Salt will be the republic of solidarity and diversity; Berga, of culture; Tarragona will represent a connected nation of progress; Lleida, territorial balance; and Barcelona will represent the republic of liberties.
44 segments spread over five cities
As is now common with ANC and Òmnium events, the rallies will be divided into sections to ensure a homogeneous distribution of participants. This time, there are 44 sections spread over the five cities. The occupancy of the sections is as follows:
* Barcelona (8): Six sections with low occupancy, one with medium occupancy, and one with high occupancy.
* Tarragona (10): nine sections with low occupancy, and one with medium occupancy.
* Lleida (10): eight sections with low occupancy, one with very low occupancy, and one with medium occupancy.
* Berga (10): seven sections with low occupancy, two with medium occupancy, and one with high occupancy.
* Salt (6): four sections with low occupancy and two with very low occupancy.
Registration can be completed online or by phone, on an individual basis or as a group. The system automatically allocates a particular section in one of the five cities based on the county where the participant lives.
The double meaning of the slogan: All set
The slogan for this year is “All set", which means that Catalonia "is now ready" to be an independent nation, and also that the "culmination" of the independence process is closer every day. Therefore, if last year a giant pointer running down Barcelona’s Avinguda Meridiana emphasized "on the road, in the direction", this year the focus will be on "the end, the destination, and the arrival".
