Around 16,000 Catalan hikers spent their Saturday climbing 18 peaks all around Catalonia to demand the release of the political prisoners and the return of those in exile. From first light, thousands of walkers set out for mountain summits, some easy and others more arduous, in different parts of Catalonia. The summits were selected by the prisoners and exiles themselves, and stretched from the Canigó in Northern Catalonia (chosen by the imprisoned Jordi Cuixart) to Tossal del Rei in the south (chosen by the exiled Lluis Puig).
Those taking part in the initiative included members of the Catalan government: president Quim Torra, who climbed Puigsacalm near the town of Olot, and ministers Miquel Buch, Laura Borràs, Chakir el Homrani, Jordi Puigneró and Damià Calvet. Parliamentary speaker Roger Torrent made an ascent of Matagalls, in the Montseny massif near Barcelona.
Most of the government ministers chose to climb the peaks selected by their predecessors in office, now imprisoned or in exile. Thus, president Quim Torra's climb to the top of 1,515 metre high Puigsacalm, offered the symbolism that the mountain had been chosen by president in exile Carles Puigdemont.
Nothing will stop #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT for us pic.twitter.com/cNnVo7jeFi
— Quim Torra i Pla (@QuimTorraiPla) 13 of October 2018
Translation: Nothing will stop us #SummitsForLiberty
Catalan culture minister Laura Borràs made her climb on the mountain chosen by her predecessor, Lluís Puig, Tossal del Rei, 1,351 metres in altitude, in the Els Ports natural park, "the place where the three territories meets: Catalonia, Valencian Country and Aragon," she commented in a tweet. "This is for you, Lluís Puig, and for all the political prisoners and exiles", she added.
The #consellera of @cultura_cat @LauraBorras it has risen to the Hillock of the King #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT @cimsxllibertat pic.twitter.com/hELk0IlIjm
— Government. Generality (@govern) 13 of October 2018
Similarly, the minister for territory and sustainability, Damià Calvet, and minister for enterpise, Àngels Chacón, accompanied the family of the jailed Josep Rull - who previously headed both ministries - while they climbed La Mola, 1,100 metres up, the highest point of the massif of Sant Llorenç de Munt, about 40km inland from Barcelona. "Today, political prisoners and exiles, we'll climb the peaks that are most special to you. We start a new day calling for your freedom", wrote Calvet on social media.
Today we will rise your more special peaks with you, #PresosPolíticsiExiliats. We begin a new claiming day your freedom. In the feet of la Mola we are ready for making the peak of @joseprull! @cimsxllibertat pic.twitter.com/zX3eyhLmOI
— Damià Calvet (@damiacalvet) 13 of October 2018
Catalonia's interior minister Miquel Buch reached the top of the 1,705 metre Les Agudes, in the Montseny massif, in solidarity with Quim Forn, who headed the interior ministry previously; and the minister of work and social affairs, Chakir el Homrani, made the ascent of Montgrí, in the Baix Empordà county, close to the Costa Brava, which had been chosen by minister Dolors Bassa. He sent Bassa this message: "We have climbed your Montgrí to call for you". "We mustn't normalize injustice. Imprisonment and exile are an attack on freedom and democracy", added El Homrani.
It|He|She goes for you, @dolorsbassac! We have risen your Montgrí for claiming yourself.
— Chakir el Homrani (@ChakirelHomrani) 13 of October 2018
For you and for the rest of political prisoners and exiles. We want you at home! Have #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT @cimsxllibertat pic.twitter.com/zbdUpgeecS
The 303 metre-high Montgrí peak contrasts with the 2,548 metres above sea level of Comabona, in the Pyrenees, the mountain climbed by the digital policies and public administration minister Jordi Puigneró. This was the summit chosen by the imprisoned presidency minister Jordi Turull. Once at the top, Puigneró inscribed a message in a notebook (shown in the tweet below) which read: "There are no middle ways in the history of peoples: either they are free and sovereign or they are dependent, but only those who are sovereign can assume the challenges of the future".
There are not third ways|railways in the history|story of the people|villages: either they are free and sovereign or they are shop assistants, but only the sovereigns can assume the challenges of the future. For our #presospolitics and exiles, because we want them free, we want them in casa!#CimsperlaLlibertat#FreeTothom pic.twitter.com/TRh02ipj3R
— Jordi Pu1gnerO (@jordiPuignero) 13 of October 2018
Meanwhile, the speaker of the Catalan parliament Roger Torrent ascended the 1,600 metres to the peak of Matagalls, in central Catalonia, accompanied by the family of the exiled Marta Rovira.
Thousands of people took part in the initiative combining sport and solidarity, with the goal of raising awareness of the "injustice" represented by the situation of the pro-independence political prisoners, as the organization explained in a communiqué. All those who took part in the mass climb paid €10, raising funds for the Catalan Association for Civil Rights.
The full list of summits and the prisoners and exiles nominating them, along with maps and details of the ascents can be seen on the initiative's website.
Today we rise to the #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT, in Les Agudes for in @quimforn [ @govern] and in so many of others for the #PresosPolíticsiExiliats.
— SUIT INSIDE|INLAND (@adic_int) 13 of October 2018
And, alternatively, peaks have also been made by the #Represaliades, @TamaraVila83 @EtVolemACasa and so many other ones [@cupnacional] pic.twitter.com/Yy0OGKNacj
The #consellera of @cultura_cat @LauraBorras it has risen to the Hillock of the King #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT @cimsxllibertat pic.twitter.com/hELk0IlIjm
— Government. Generality (@govern) October 13, 2018
#CIMSXLALLIBERTAT pic.twitter.com/skt3tMtmhI
— MontseT (@MontseTorra1) 13 of October 2018
Ja hi som. #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT #LlibertatPresosPoliticsiexiliats pic.twitter.com/5Rh9lkmmiX
— My Mareta! (@cris_moe) 13 of October 2018
We have made the Peak. Everything is cost it to fight for the freedom #LlibertatPresosPoliticsiExiliats #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT #Resacelebrar #12OctNiOblitNiPerdó pic.twitter.com/LYwgkwZudb
— Josep Lluís Serrano (@JosepLluisSB) 13 of October 2018
#CimsxlaLlibertat #Canigó #JordiCuixart pic.twitter.com/8LK77YFLBR
— Cultural Òmnium (@omnium) 13 of October 2018
Escalfant per fer el #CIMSXLALLIBERTAT #MonsentDePallars @ClaraPonsati #LlibertatPresosPoliticsiexiliats Cada dia surt el sol Todos los días sale el sol! Cantem tots per vosaltres! pic.twitter.com/NGHa6uWxjR — Pescallunes(@_pescallunes_) 13 of October 2018