"We've done it again." That was the summary of the rally for the Diada, Catalonia's National Day, given by Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. In brief comments after the speeches at the end of the demonstration, the president asked "What more do we have to do for it to be understood that the people of Catalonia wants to vote?"
Puigdemont also wanted to highlight that the rally this 11th September has been "once again, festive and peaceful, despite all the predictions of those who wanted us to tank and with the incorruptible commitment with which we Catalans have decided to face the situation: peacefully and incorruptibly". "The [people in the] streets have behaved as they always do," he added.
The president reiterated that his government is "open to negotiation" over how the Catalans can vote "until the last moment". "If the Spanish government wants to, we can talk about everything."
Puigdemont said that "every kind of person, from different points of Catalonia, of different ages and speaking different languages" attended the rally in favour of a 'yes' vote in the upcoming referendum, for which he said again that "the people want to vote".
Warning to Rajoy: There's still time to react
Although with a certain scepticism, Puigdemont, directing himself to the Spanish government, said that "they've got time to react", seeing that the people of Catalonia had behaved as in previous Diades.
"It's very difficult for them to now change their pensée unique logic, according to which everything that has happened here, or hasn't happened, is due to fanatical people," he lamented.