TWO events will be held this weekend in support of St Andrews University academic Professor Clara Ponsatí and other exiled pro-independence figures and jailed political prisoners in Catalonia.
The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) Scotland said a mosaic of at least 3000 candles would be lit at Stockbridge Market in Edinburgh on Sunday evening – to form a yellow bow and a Saltire.
Ponsatí – who this week saw the formal discharge of Spain’s bid to extradite her to face charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds for her role in the Catalan independence referendum – will deliver a speech at the event, as will her lawyer Aamer Anwar and SNP MP Joanna Cherry.
READ MORE: Ponsati pledges to carry on fighting for Catalonia
A spokesperson for the ANC Scotland told The National there was no significance attached to the number of candles to be lit. “It’s just the number the man organising it thought of using – he’s coming all the way from Catalonia,” they said. “I am not sure how many candles we are going to use.”
The location had to be changed because of the Edinburgh Fringe and the mosaic redesigned to be smaller than originally planned.
On Monday, when Ponsati’s extradition hearing was due to start, the ANC Scotland is organising a yellow barbecue at The Meadows, to replace the planned assembly at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
“This will be a fundraising event for the cause of the prisoners and exiles,” said the ANC. “There will be speeches by civil society organisations, such as the Catalan Defence Committee, Students of St Andrews in Support of Clara Ponsatí and our companions of ANC England.
“The aims of these events are to support and show solidarity with Clara Ponsatí, and also to take advantage of this opportunity to weave synergies between Catalonia and Scotland, to share experience, to exchange ideas with local people, to inform about everything that has been done and is being done in Scotland, and to explain what the ANC has done.”
READ MORE: Puigdemont to travel back to Belgium as European warrant lifted
The events will run in parallel with a social media campaign to facilitate the arrival of Catalans to Scotland from around the world for the planned events. A Facebook page, “Omplim Edinburgh – Let’s Fill Edinburgh”, has been activated where Scottish hosts can offer free accommodation to Catalans who want to come here. A Telegram channel, @OmplimEdinburgh, has also been set up, for updates about the events.
Meanwhile, the Catalan and Spanish governments are to meet on August 1 – the first meeting in seven years of their bilateral commission.
Ernest Maragall, Catalonia’s foreign minister and the Spanish minister of territorial policy Meritxell Batet will head the talks.
Amongst the topics for discussion, the Catalan government has cited “rights and freedoms and ways for Catalan citizens to democratically participate in the decisions concerning their future”, bringing to the fore two of the thorniest subjects in Catalonia – demands for a referendum on self-determination and the imprisonment of pro-independence leaders.
Catalan president Quim Torra said: “Catalans will never give up on the right to self-determination.”
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