SUPPORTERS from around the world are backing a Catalan nationalist who has vowed not to eat until either Scotland or his own country has declared independence.
David Raventos begins the second week of his hunger strike tomorrow and says his “resolve and focus” has only increased over the past seven days.
The 46-year-old said he is prepared to die if independence is not declared by either country. He believes a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) by one country would spark a similar move by the other.
Although he is realistic about his chances of success he thinks there is a “one in a million chance that the butterfly effect of this tiny action of mine will set the wheels of change in the world”.
“I’m sure that first we take Catalonia and Scotland, and then we will peacefully take the world in our hand,” he said. “A world that is run by a handful of politicians, bankers, multinationals and mainstream media that are economically and militarily oppressing 7,500 million people in the world, by using fear and lies to keep the best majority of humans under the boot of the worst minority.
His move has attracted huge support through social media, the You Tube channel and a Change.org petition and he has been given audiences with Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and Vice President Oriol Junqueraa.
Raventos began his strike outside the British Consulate in Barcelona last Tuesday because he said it represented political, economic and media power.
“Those three powers are imposing their interests (that no independence comes, while they apparently respect or even pretend to work for it), over the interest of the majority of the Scottish and Catalan people that want and need independence, but are not represented in the world decision centres,” he said.
Raventos, who has campaigned for Catalan independence for most of his adult life, claims British, American and Spanish agents have infiltrated the independence movements to work against them.
“I have discovered an infiltration operation of enormous proportions that has the objective of twisting the will of the majority of Catalans, expressed several times with massive demonstrations on the streets and obtaining a majority in Catalan elections.
“Similarly, in Scotland, Nato has an operation running that made a rigged referendum in September 2014.”
The hunger striker claims he has been spied on, threatened, slandered and censured since starting to speak out about the alleged infiltration.
“But I know that no cause stands a chance when not a single person is ready to die for it, especially when your adversaries, Nato, USA, UK and Spain are more than ready to kill to avoid these causes ever succeeding, as history proves time and again.
“What I can do is to call attention to an abuse of a softer kind than wars or genocides or staged coups happening elsewhere by using the tools of the pretence of democracy we have in Europe.
“I know the risk this action entails for me, as I have no power supporting me. My next days will be a nightmare but it will be just a step up from what they have been doing to me the last two years.
“I have no means whatsoever to do any more than pledge my life to the truth and freedom of two tiny countries.
“I don’t know how long this will take but I’m certain we will win.”
Catalonia has been refused the right to hold a Scottish-style referendum by the authorities in Madrid and former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has warned Catalans against UDI although he previously threatened that Scotland could declare independence if Westminster did not deliver on The Vow made before indyref in 2014.
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