Translated into English by Daniel Bogre Udell. Posted on Global Voices on October 2, 2012.
- Image from the official Facebook event: “The classic of freedom. The world is listening.”
On October 7, 2012 the rival Spanish soccer teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will meet at Camp Nou (the latter’s stadium) for the latest match in a rivalry famously known as “el clásico“. With six days left before the game, the Catalan activist group Veus per la Independència [ca] or “Voices for Independence” is encouraging fans to bring their estelades (Catalan separatist flags) in order to fill their team’s stadium with nationalist symbols.
Other initiatives include organizing a mass recital of Els Segadors, the Catalan national anthem, when the clock hits 17:14 (referencing the events of 1714 that Catalonia’s national holiday commemorates).
On the Facebook event, titled “Clàssic de la llibertat” or “Classic of freedom”, Veus per la Independència has asked:
El proper 7 d’octubre al Camp Nou el món ens tornarà a mirar, es juga un dels partits amb més audiència al món, el Barça-Madrid. Us demanem que un cop més i de forma cívica però majoritària, mostrem al món la nostra voluntat de ser.
The hashtag #CampNouPleDEstelades (Flood the Camp Nou with estelades) has surfaced for tweets relating to the game:
@jordanesku10 Queden 6dies x l Barça-Madriz serà 1altre dia HISTORIC cm #11S2012 #27S2012 #7OCT12 #CampNouPleDEstelades HO VEURÀ TOT EL MÓN! #tenimpressa
@quvic #CampNouPleDEstelades les nostres armes: la força de la gent expressant-se lliure,pacífica i democràticament.Que ho vegi TOT EL MÓN ││*/││
@sc_cat Això! Que els espanyols q veuen el partit, s.enterin del q volen els catalans realment! #campNouPleDEstelades!! #@barcelona11s @annacat1973
On September 19, eight days after the 1.5 million person separatist march in Barcelona, an unusual chorus of cheers for independence filled Camp Nou during a match. Certain Twitter users have expressed hope that the idea swiftly gains momentum, especially when Real Madrid comes to Barcelona next week.
The current political climate, which has taken a drastic shift towards separatism following a massive protest on September 11 — early elections will be held on November 25 and a referendum for independence has been promised — has created a context that elevates the significance of the coming Clásico match. In fact, a group of Real Madrid supporters have petitioned [es] the team’s president, Florentino Pérez, to abandon the field if FC Barcelona fans begin chanting “independència.“
Communication Matters 