Anti-war campaigner and independence supporter Yvonne Ridley writes from Barcelona after the one-million strong demonstration on La Diada. Ridley examines the response of King Felipe to the push for Catalan independence and compares it to that of Queen Elizabeth – in both cases, the monarchy may need to learn when to yield

Today, Aamer Anwar, the Scottish human rights advocate and lawyer for the exiled former Catalan minister Clara Ponsati, addressed the enormous pro-independence rally held in Barcelona to mark Catalonia’s National Day and demand justice for Catalan political prisoners. Read his speech here.

MOLTES GRÀCIES. I bring you solidarity from Scotland and the deepest thanks of Professor Clara Ponsati.

On the 1 October the Spanish state used every tactic possible to bully, blackmail, harass, intimidate and attack.

“Our government has committed to making the republic a reality,” Catalan President Quim Torra said ahead of the mass mobilisation

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators are taking to the streets of Barcelona to celebrate Catalonia’s National Day of Diada and show their support for independence, despite a heavy police presence.

During his recent visit to Scotland, exiled former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont told CommonSpace he advocated a program of ‘de-Francoisation’ to rid Spain of those aspects of its fascist past which he argues still persist. What would such a process look like?

MOVING A BODY, in case you didn’t know, can be a tricky business.

Speaking at the Beyond Borders festival during a surprise visit to Scotland, Puigdemont emphasised that a Francoist culture persists in the Spanish “deep state”

FORMER CATALAN PRESIDENT Carles Puigdemont spoke to CommonSpace about his ideas for a radical transformation of the Spanish authorities and system of government in order to rid them of the “shadow of Francoism”.

Clara Ponsati was a surprise guest at the CommonSpace forum

COMMONSPACE held a forum at the University of Edinburgh on 30 July on where now for Catalan independence, co-sponsored by Bella Caledonia and ANC Scotland.

Speakers: SNP MP for Edinburgh West Joanna Cherry; co-authors of Catalonia Reborn George Kerevan and Chris Bambery; human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar; head of the Catalan National Assembly Elisenda Paluzie. There was also a surprise guest appearance from exiled Catalan former Education Minister and St Andrews Uni professor Clara Ponsati.

Campaign launched for Scottish citizens to offer free accommodation to visiting Catalans

FOLLOWING the withdrawal of the European Arrest Warrants for Clara Ponsati and all other Catalan politicians sought by the Spanish authorities, the grassroots solidarity organisation Catalan National Assembly (ANC) Scotland has announced a series of actions across Edinburgh this weekend to show support for Catalan political prisoners and exiles.

Ponsati’s legal team remains “on standby” against possibility that a European Arrest Warrant could be reissued

THE EUROPEAN ARREST WARRANT for exiled former Catalan minister Clara Ponsati was officially withdrawn today [23 June] at Edinburgh’s Sheriff Court, following the Spanish Supreme Court’s decision to drop its attempts at extradition last week.