The association Cercle Culturel Catalan in Quebec has, finally, been able to overcome the disastrous effects of the application of Article 155. The Spanish government's suppression of Catalonia's self-government in 2017-2018 under this article of the constitution, had a wide range of punitive effects, and one of the least known of these was that a cultural association, thousands of kilometres away from Catalonia, almost disappeared. According to the Quebec Catalans, under Spanish foreign minister Alfonso Dastis's implementation of Article 155 in the international area, funding grants for the association's promotion of Catalan language and culture for the year 2017 were withdrawn. This led the Quebec group to financial ruin.
"Dastis put us on a black list of 26 Catalan communities abroad. The goal was to punish us for having spoken about the referendum. But those who imposed 155 didn't get their wish," said the group in a Twitter thread.
Amigues, amics, ja ho podem fer oficial: hem derrotat el 155! Catalan·e·s i catalanòfil·e·s del Quebec, hem fet la millor pinya possible i avui som més forts que mai per continuar endavant amb la nostra tasca de difusió de la llengua i la cultura catalanes al Quebec. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/kyk1MIWFVr
— Catalan·e·s du Québec (@ccQuebec) 23 de febrer de 2019
Translation:
Friends, we can now make it official: we have defeated 155! Catalan·e·s and catalanophiles of Quebec, we have all pulled together brilliantly and today we are stronger than ever, to continue moving forward with our task of disseminating Catalan language and culture in Quebec.
Ha costat Déu i ajuda, però finalment l'equip d'@exteriorscat ha aconseguit revertir els efectes del 155 que quasi ens va fer desaparèixer. I és que el Ministerio de Exteriores d'Alfonso Dastís ens va col·locar en una llista negra de 26 comunitats catalanes de l'Exterior. 2/3
— Catalan·e·s du Québec (@ccQuebec) 23 de febrer de 2019
It has cost us an arm and a leg, but finally the Catalan foreign ministry team has maneged to reverse the effects of 155 that almost made us disappear. And what happened was that the Spanish foreign ministry under Alfonso Dastís put us on a black list of 26 Catalan communities abroad.
L'objectiu era castigar-nos per haver parlat del referèndum i ho van fer retirant-nos els ajuts per a les activitats de promoció de la llengua i cultura catalanes del 2017 per abocar-nos a la ruïna i, consegüentment, al tancament de la nostra entitat. 3/3
— Catalan·e·s du Québec (@ccQuebec) 23 de febrer de 2019
The goal was to punish us for having talked about the referendum and they did so by withdrawing the grants for our Catalan language and culture promotion activities for 2017 so that we faced financial ruin and, as a result, the closure of our association.
Però els del 155 no se'n van sortir. I avui volem regraciar els més de 200 socis que van pagar la quota, Olibec per la compra mancomunada d'oli i tot·e·s aquell·e·s que han fet donatius i/o han participat a les diferents activitats de finançament al llarg d'aquest darrer any.
— Catalan·e·s du Québec (@ccQuebec) 23 de febrer de 2019
But those who imposed 155 didn't succeed. And today we want to give thanks once more to the more than 200 members who paid the quota, to Olibec for the joint purchase of oil and to everyone else who made donations and/or participated in the different funding activities during this last year.
Now, after months of struggle, the association, with the collaboration of the Catalan foreign ministry, has finally managed to overcome the effects of article 155.