The reactions continue after the Spanish Supreme Court's ruling to confirm that Catalan schools must teach a minimum of 25% of classes in the Castilian language. Today, the leading pro-independence civil group the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) issued a strong statement in which it calls on the Catalan government to disobey the court ruling and continue to fully apply the model of immersion in the Catalan language in the school system.
"We need to be aware, as the Spanish state is when it attacks it, that the Catalan language is the backbone of our national identity and cohesion. For this reason, the Assembly affirms the need for disobedience of the court decision, and we demand the immersion policy be fully applied right across the territory", the pro-independence NGO stated.
The ANC, however, did not limit itself to this call: it also demanded that the Pere Aragonès executive "take more initiatives in other areas of language policy" and to "put our mobilizing force at the service of the organizations fighting for the language." "Despite this, we are aware that only independence will give us the necessary tools to guarantee the use and knowledge of Catalan in all sectors," it said.
For the Assembly, the Supreme Court ruling is "one further judicial offensive by the Spanish state" that "responds only to political objectives." Thus, the entity accused the state of "trying to continue with the control and repression of Catalonia and our language" and recalled that the original source of the court ruling was an appeal made by the Spanish government itself through the state solicitors.
Finally, the organization led by Elisenda Paluzie denounced the state as "using its supposed 'justice' to wipe out our national rights." "In addition, it seeks internal confrontation where none exists. It directly attacks a model of social and pedagogical consensus," said the statement.
Òmnium also calls for disobedience
This strong message follows another made yesterday by Òmnium Cultural, major Catalan cultural organization, which said the group was committed to exhausting all avenues to protect the Catalan language in schools and, if necessary, "disobey with unity in the street and firmness in the institutions."
"From civil society, we will do our utmost to defend this great success of the country, and we urge the institutions to do everything in their power to shield the schooling model, an example of cohesion, and protect the educational community. Including, if necessary, disobeying unjust laws," said the Òmnium president, Jordi Cuixart.
In addition, Òmnium called for the construction and implementation of a transversal and seamless response from Catalonia, led by the pro-immersion platform Somescola, and for all actors involved and civil society to continue to use the tools at their disposal to counter the court ruling and thus "invalidate it on a day-to-day basis".
Main image: ANC president Elisenda Paluzie on Catalan National Day, the 'Diada', in 2021 / Photo: Sergi Alcazar