To achieve independence, we believe that there are two essential lines of work: on the one hand, that all citizens should become active in order to win on all the fronts where freedom is at stake, and on the other, that we should exert pressure, that we should exercise our rights, on these fronts and collectively

What are Òmnium’s objectives and lines of work at the moment? What aspects do you think it is important to emphasise?

In October 2017 Catalonia achieved a brutal accumulation of power, the result of a cycle of about 10 years of organisation, mobilisation and empowerment. It was a collective and transversal success that cannot be minimised, nor can we turn the page, but we must recognise that we have a problem, we need to activate again.

Independence is built day by day, and that is why the priority is to open a new political cycle in the country that allows us to address the democratic resolution of the political conflict. We are activists and Òmnium’s proposal is to involve new forms and new voices, especially civil society and organised citizens, especially young people.

It is about fighting on each of the strategic fronts (the Catalan language, social cohesion, transformative culture and civil and political rights) and to do so not only at the national level, but in every school, company or neighbourhood throughout the country.

At the round table you talked about the importance of making citizens feel that their involvement is useful and you talked about the concrete proposals that Òmnium has today. What strategies do you think are important to activate citizens, and to create networks between the different struggles to strengthen different aspects of sovereignty?

We are fighting for independence also because it seems to us the best tool to respond to the needs of the country, and we want to contribute to making it possible. To achieve independence, we believe that there are two essential lines of work: on the one hand, that all citizens should become active in order to win on all the fronts where freedom is at stake, and on the other, that we should exert pressure, that we should exercise our rights, on these fronts and collectively. For example, we exercise the civil and political rights that the Spanish state violates, such as freedom of expression or peaceful assembly, working with other organisations in areas as diverse as historical memory, against impunity for police violence or against digital espionage.

We promote the Catalan language, in all environments and as an element of cohesion, we invite citizens to become activists for the language with a guide and local projects, and we challenge the interference of the judiciary to alter the legislative framework of language immersion. Or we carry out community action projects to combat social exclusion and strengthen the social fabric in the face of hate speech, with the aim of generating opportunities to overcome inequalities and social exclusion. All of this translates into projects that Òmnium’s local groups implement in different towns, neighbourhoods and cities, often with other local organisations.

In its internationalisation work, where does Òmnium Cultural put its strengths; where can the greatest support be found from the people who are in favour of self-determination?

The two strategic lines on which the International work plan is based are international political advocacy and the generation of networks and complicities, especially in Europe. Òmnium Cultural is a public diplomacy actor that contributes to raising international awareness of the Catalan political conflict and the violations of civil, political, cultural and linguistic rights. This work, together with that of other organisations and actors defending Catalonia’s right to self-determination, has led to many of the international positions critical of Spain and also others in favour of the right to decide. But it is not only about explaining our case, but also about contributing to debates that concern us all, such as social cohesion, the role of culture or the promotion of human rights, contributing good practices and learning from other organisations. This is also why we are involved in international networks such as the European Civic Forum or the European Language Equality Network.

In politics, we already know that movements are produced according to the interests of the actors present on the game board, therefore, being an actor and remaining an actor over a certain period of time is essential

In what aspects do you see cooperation between peoples as feasible or interesting?

We share not only the same objective, but also the opposition of the same actor, the Spanish state, and the same European institutional and legal framework. It is therefore not only inevitable, but also recommendable, that there should be ties of solidarity and cooperation between Basques and Catalans. Furthermore, Gure Esku and Òmnium Cultural share the fact that we are civil society actors and in this sense it is advisable that we continue to exchange ideas and support each other in our projects, in order to mobilise and demand our right to decide. Furthermore, one aspect in which we must continue to cooperate, including at the international level, is to highlight the shortcomings of Spanish democracy.

Perhaps, in a bit of politics and fiction, what do you think might happen in our field at the European level in the next decade?

In my opinion, it is not about predicting the future, which seems to me to be more fiction than anything else, but I do think it is useful to explore what scenarios might occur, based on current and even future opportunities and challenges. With one objective: to detect how we should act in the present to help create the future we long for.

In politics, we already know that movements are produced according to the interests of the actors present on the game board, therefore, being an actor and remaining an actor over a certain period of time is essential (and not easy). Moreover, it is not only a question of interests and actors, but also of the context at any given moment. And the current European context is marked by climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and economic inequalities, as well as the rise of the extreme right, four aspects that pose challenges that need to be addressed in a coordinated and multidisciplinary manner. It is therefore not an easy context for actors who want to disrupt borders. Even so, creating the conditions for this to be possible in the near future is essential, and establishing how territorial sovereignty conflicts in Europe are to be resolved seems to me to be an important contribution to democracy and peace and a solid contribution to the concrete future we wish to build.

In the European Union we already know that there is an initial rejection of the alteration of borders, but we have also seen that the EU is very pragmatic and could come to accept the birth of new states, especially if the process has been democratic. We must keep rowing towards that scenario.

The TM eLab is an initiative of the Olaso Dorrea Foundation, which offers its heritage to the Basque pro-sovereignity movement.