The Mossos d'Esquadra charged this Thursday against antifascist demonstrators who were trying to access the Fossar de les Moreres, in Barcelona, where Aliança Catalana was celebrating its traditional floral offering on the eve of the Diada of September 11.
The police intervention occurred around 6:00 PM, when participants in a concentration called by organizations of the independentist left attempted to overcome the cordon of the Mobile Brigade that prevented both groups from coming into contact.
The operation aimed to guarantee the celebration of the authorized act of Aliança Catalana, a formation led by Sílvia Orriols, and to avoid a confrontation between its supporters and the groups that had announced their intention to prevent them from accessing the Fossar.
Tension had been increasing throughout the afternoon until it culminated in the charges. The demonstrators responded to the police action with the shout of "without police they are nothing", directed against the supporters of Aliança Catalana.
The agents even removed the banner that led the mobilization during the scuffles. According to available information, it later ended up in the hands of supporters of Orriols' formation.
A protest to prevent the act of Aliança Catalana
The concentration against Aliança Catalana had been called at 5:00 PM under the slogan "Antifascist unity for a land for all".
Among the calling organizations were Arran, Endavant, Alerta Solidària, the Student Union of the Catalan Countries (SEPC), and the Workers' Union Coordinator (COS), groups situated in the orbit of the independentist left and politically linked to the CUP space.
Their declared objective was to prevent the supporters of Aliança Catalana from accessing the Fossar de les Moreres, one of the most symbolically charged places for Catalan independence during the Diada events.
In response to the call, the Mossos had prepared the operation more than an hour in advance. The agents established cordons and police filters on the passeig del Born and nearby streets to keep both groups separated.
The operation allowed access to the venue for those participating in the offering of Aliança Catalana, while preventing those concentrated against the party from advancing towards the Fossar.
Orriols: "If they come to attack us, we will pin them to the ground"
The risk of confrontations had been growing during the hours leading up to the event.
The mayor of Ripoll and leader of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols, had previously disseminated a video in which she issued a warning about the plans for a boycott: "If they come to attack us, we will pin them to the ground".
Finally, the police presence has prevented direct contact between both groups, although it has not avoided moments of tension or the charges against those who tried to cross the line of the Mossos.
Aliança Catalana had also mobilized eight buses from different regions of Catalonia to participate in the event. During the offering, slogans such as "Catalonia Catalan" and "Sílvia Orriols is the solution" were heard.
Orriols herself proclaimed to her supporters: "We have come to save Catalonia", while boos were heard from the opposing concentration.