Barcelona to Host a March for Ceuta on 12th October with 5,000 Flags

The platform Unidos por Ceuta is calling for a demonstration in Barcelona on 12th October under the slogan "Catalonia with Ceuta. One Spain." They will distribute 5,000 flags from the autonomous city, and the route has been modified due to camping in Plaça de Catalunya.

The platform Unidos por Ceuta has called for a demonstration in Barcelona on 12th October, National Day, focusing on the autonomous city. According to eldebate.com, the march will start at 11:30 am on Paseo de Gracia, at the height of Provenza Street, in front of La Pedrera.

The chosen slogan is "Catalonia with Ceuta. One Spain". The organisers want to show their support for the people of Ceuta following the mass influx of immigrants recorded last summer. "I believe the best message we can send from Catalonia is the support of Catalans for that sister city we have across the strait," explains Javier Megino, a representative of the organisation and a member of Cataluña Suma.

The spokesperson for the platform, Hugo Escarpa, insists that the situation in Ceuta deserves special attention this year. "This year we wanted to give it an even more significant focus and put Ceuta in the spotlight," he states. The goal, he adds, is for the residents of the autonomous city to feel supported in regaining their daily peace.

To make this support visible, the organisation has purchased 5,000 Ceuta flags to distribute among attendees. The flags will join the Spanish and Catalan flags that usually fill Paseo de Gracia every 12th October. Megino confirms that there will also be people linked to Ceuta at the final event, including a representative from Mujeres Caballas, a group preparing a mobilization in Madrid for 25th October.

The call has garnered support from about fifteen entities in just over a week. Among them are Espanya i Catalans, Empresaris de Catalunya, S’ha Acabat, Impulso Ciudadano, Cataluña Suma, Ciudadanos para la Libertad, Españoles de a Pie, and the Asociación de Profesores por el Bilingüismo. La Latina, Aixeca’t-Levántate, España en Pie, Movimiento Resistencia Ferraz, Unión de Brigadas, Sociedad Civil Española, and Los de Artós have also joined.

Those interested in joining the manifesto can do so through the Unidos por Ceuta website, open to both associations and individuals.

This year's route features a change necessitated by the camping set up in Plaça de Catalunya. The march will not end there, as in previous editions, but the final stage will move to Paseo de Gracia, at the intersection with Gran Vía. "The route avoids arriving at Plaça de Catalunya because, evidently, a stage cannot be set up there, nor can the square be filled with people given the current situation," notes Megino. The modification has been agreed upon with the collaboration of the Barcelona City Council and the Eixample district.

The rest of the programme remains unchanged. After the demonstration, more than fifty Latin American dance troupes, featuring around 3,000 dancers, will perform, and tents from various entities and parties will be set up. The day will also serve to advocate for national unity and express rejection of amnesty and the consequences of the independence process. Escarpa summarises the message they wish to convey: "Catalonia is Spain."