Weekend of events to bid farewell to jailed leaders ahead of trial

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 09:35:59 +0000

Thousands of people have taken part in several events outside Lledoners prison over the weekend to bid farewell to the Catalan pro-independence jailed leaders, who will be transferred to Madrid prisons for their upcoming trial in the next few days.

On Sunday at noon a concert joined by hundreds of folksingers was held to “support” the nine officials incarcerated. “We hope they return soon, but freed, and not inside prisons, we hope they are given justice,” said Anna Rosés, a folksinger of Orfeó Català, an iconic, old coral group in the country.

On Saturday, another gathering was joined by some eighty groups of ‘gegants’, or giant figures, traditional characters in local celebrations and parades.

A group of motorbike riders also took part in the farewell events, as well as folk festivals.

200^th night in a row

On Saturday evening, another part of the traditional culture, the dancing ‘diables’, or devils in English, also performed along with the activist Joan BonaNit.

Every evening at 8.45pm every evening this anonymous activist says ‘bona nit'(or ‘good night,’ in English) to each of the nine leaders outside Lledoners with a megaphone –a voice by some of them saying ‘bona nit’ in response is sometimes heard. Joan BonaNit performed his ‘good night’ for a 200^th night in a row.

The activities, outside the prison where seven out of the nine jailed leaders are incarcerated, also paid tribute to the remaining two officials, behind bars elsewhere in Catalonia but also to be transferred to Madrid soon.

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Weekend of events to bid farewell to jailed leaders ahead of trial