Salvador Espriu street in Reus has hosted this Tuesday the first edition of the action promoted by the platform Sant Jordi per la Llengua, a call that has gathered more than a hundred people, according to the organization. The event has been held within the framework of Sant Jordi with a message defending the social use of Catalan.
During the concentration, a joint manifesto backed by more than one hundred entities, unions and collectives has been read. The initiative has wanted to place the debate on language in the public space and link it to the social and cultural context of the country.
An act in Reus with a repeat in other cities
The mobilization has not been limited to the capital of Baix Camp. The same action has also been carried out in Tortosa, Manresa, Igualada, Girona and Barcelona, within a simultaneous call in several points of Cataluña.
One of the data points that has centered the day has been that of the latest survey of linguistic uses, which points out that only one third of the population of Catalonia has Catalan as their usual language. Based on this figure, the conveners have demanded measures to reverse the situation.
Linguistic and social vindication
"The situation of Catalan is not insurmountable, quite the opposite, but it is our responsibility to start changing it. It is necessary for the Govern and other actors to take real and brave measures" - Adrià Aragonès, member of Sant Jordi per la Llengua
Aragonès has defended that the evolution of language use cannot be analyzed apart from living conditions. In his speech, he has insisted that both factors are related and that, in his opinion, the answers must also be considered on that same level.
"We cannot separate the living conditions we have, which have changed a lot in recent decades, from the situation of the language. They are inseparable and, therefore, measures are needed in this regard" - Adrià Aragonès, member of Sant Jordi per la Llengua
The representative of the platform has also claimed the historical component of Sant Jordi as a day of cultural and collective affirmation.
"Sant Jordi is inseparable from the situation the country is experiencing, also in a cultural key. For Sant Jordi, since its beginnings, there is a claim behind it and it must be maintained and promoted" - Adrià Aragonès, member of Sant Jordi per la Llengua
The call from Reus opens the first edition of this Sant Jordi per la Llengua action in the city and puts on the table a claim shared by dozens of organizations, with the will to give continuity to the defense of catalán in the street.