The presidents of the Parliament elect their Diada
If you had to choose one September 11th, which would it be? La Vanguardia posed this question to the last seven Speakers of the Parliament, who looked back to find their earliest memory of the Diada, and also to choose a specific year from the fifty years the celebration has spanned since the legendary mobilization of 1976 in Sant Boi de Llobregat, the first authorized since the dictatorship. In these lines, they also reflect on how the celebration has evolved over the years.
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A common memory of September 11th is that of 1976. “I went with my university friends. It was the first time I saw so many people waving senyeres (flags), it really impacted me,” explains Carme Forcadell, Speaker of the Parliament from 2015 to 2017. Ernest Benach, who presided over the Chamber from 2003 to 2010, also remembers that day: “We went in a two-horse carriage, very young people, we lived it intensely and hoped things would change, and they did, although not as much as we would have liked.”
Ernest Benach “In 1976, we lived that day with the desire for things to change, and they did.”If a Diada had to be chosen, for Benach it would be the one in 2012, "the first pro-independence demonstration, which drew over a million people," and he also cites the one in 2004, "when the event was held for the first time in the Ciutadella with the homage to the flag." The Diada, he argues, should have an institutional component and festive elements, "but there will always be a national demand," and although the mobilization "has had its ups and downs, it has remained at a minimum."
Forcadell chooses the 2014 September 11th: “We filled Diagonal and Gran Via streets, and we drew the flag of the Catalan flag. Although in 2013, Via Catalana was a great show of force,” he emphasizes. Now, “the independence movement is discouraged, and the Diada reflects that disillusionment and isn't massive.”
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For Josep Rull, Speaker of the Parliament since 2024, his first memory of the Diada is from 1977: “I was 9 years old and I remember a cry, 'Freedom, amnesty and the statute of autonomy,' that we children would repeat in the street. And it was said that there was a man, who was Josep Tarradellas, who might return to Catalonia.” He chooses the 2013 Diada, the Via Catalana: “Seeing so many people shaking hands with the person next to them, without asking where they were born, what language they spoke, or their ideology, together, to achieve freedom, is extraordinarily powerful.” The 11th of September, he says, must always be a matter of protest, alongside civic and institutional expressions.
Roger Torrent “The Diada will be whatever the people want it to be, but it will maintain that focus on the future.”Roger Torrent, who presided over the Chamber from 2018 to 2021, also remembers the Diada as a child, with his parents, and what they taught him. “It was as a teenager that my political commitment was forged,” he explains. He highlights the 2004 Diada, “the first government celebration promoted by President Maragall, which combined solemnity and cultural drive,” and the 2013 Via Catalana, “for what it represented in terms of collective strength around a shared goal.” The Diada, he says, will be whatever the people want it to be, but “it will maintain that spirit that combines celebration and a look to the future.”
Laura Borràs “My first memory is from 1978, being held by my father and mother, and with my brother“My first memory is the 1978 Diada, when I was 8 years old, held between my father and mother, and my brother on my father's shoulders, unable to grasp the meaning at the time,” says Laura Borràs, Speaker of the Parliament from 2021 to 2022. Without hesitation, she chooses 2017: “We've done them all, and with conviction, but that was the Diada that gave us the impetus for the great collective achievement of October 1st.” Borràs argues that “there's a before and after 2017, due to the influence of repression,” and since 2018, “it reflects this collective disappointment because the project was very exciting, and then it didn't materialize.” But she maintains: “It has to be a day of vindication and active resistance against oppression, as indicated by the text of the law that established October 1st as a national day.”
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Anna Erra, who presided over the Chamber from 2023 to 2024, also chose the 2017 Diada: “I was mayor of Vic, and it was moving to experience the events we held on the Diada in homage to Bac de Roda, an example of struggle and rebellion.” Erra admits that the 11th of September had a high point, and now there's a feeling of discouragement. “But I think, optimistically, that the people are there, waiting for the moment to return to the streets to demand their rights.”
Núria de Gispert “I was excited to experience the 2010 celebration as the first female president.”Núria de Gispert, Speaker of the Parliament from 2010 to 2015, chooses the Onze de Setembre (September 11th) from that first year at the helm of the Chamber: "I have mixed memories, because we were going through a very severe economic and social crisis, but I was thrilled to be the first female Speaker of the Parliament." De Gispert maintains that the Diada is festive and has a cultural component, but it cannot be separated from politics. "I don't like to be negative, but I have a certain regret. For so many years, the Diada has been wonderful—festive, cultural, and national—and it's not the same anymore, but we have to become strong, persistent, and resilient again," she predicts.
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