Ógra Shinn Féin
Armagh
Following the recent visit of JERC to the Ógra Shinn Féin National Youth Camp, it was fitting that we sent a delegation to the Acampada Jove.
The youth festival, in Sant Celoni in Catalonia, a 4 day music, and political concert has been running for over 13 years and it has proved a great way to bring the Catalan struggle to the consciousness of the young Catalan people. Last year over 35,000 people thronged to this event.
The Ógra Shinn Féin delegation was due to arrive on Wednesday the 9th of July but due to the disastrous radar failure in Dublin Airport, we did not arrive until Friday night and missed the opening of Acampada Jove.
This forced the postponement of an interview by the press which later happened on the Saturday Morning.
Upon arriving I was greeted and taken straight to the Acampada Jove set in the roaming hills of Sant Celoni, where the night’s concert had already kicked of and thousands of people were enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was electric with an uplifting atmosphere from the enthusiastic crowd.
The music from many of Catalan Countries top bands continued throughout the night, into the early hours. Flanking the stage where huge banners highlighting socialism, feminism, Independence and liberty. The final act of the night was the presenting of national flags, of people’s in struggle, with the Irish National Flag taking precedence and receiving the biggest cheers from the thousands of assembled youth
The night was the time to enjoy yourself, build comradeship with activists and share views and ideas. During the day, the concert hall was turned into an arena were the political aspect of the event came into its own.
A number of meeting’s throughout the day highlighted social problems in the Catalan Counties and many where linked to the apathetic and uncaring administration of the Spanish Occupying forces.
One particular issue was public transport, highlighting the lack of Spanish funding to the infrastructure leading to the Catalan public service not being able cope with the growing demand for upgrades.
There was also talk from the editor of a banned Basque pro Independence newspaper, he talked about the need for getting a left independence message out to the people and about the time he spent in prison for doing just that.
In the early evening of Saturday 12th, the main public event saw a wide range of Catalan cultural events and their many form’s of traditional dance, which was followed by the public political addresses, by the international youth movements.
In our address we outlined our current political situation, of our experiences of government in the Assembly, our successful campaign to reject the Lisbon Treaty, and our views for what Europe should be, ‘a free federation of free peoples.’
We sent solidarity to the Catalan and Basque independence struggles and we highlighted the growing need for more international links so we can learn from our joint experience to help bring our struggles forward.
The address received a huge applause and cheer from the crowd.
As a way of thanking JERC, for the invitation and ongoing solidarity we presented them with a commemorative plague of our fallen comrade Óglach Brendan Watters who died on active service, 8th August 1984, while engaging an RUC Land rover in Newry.
Following Ógra Shinn Féin’s speech, came the main address by the president of ERC, who spoke of the importance of international links and made a special welcome to Irish Republican Youth.
Despite a very upbeat and flawless day, the weekend took a sour turn as a massive thunder storm began, with weather turning so bad that the music event of that night was forced to a close.
Ending Acampada Jove earlier than hoped or expected, the majority of people carried on partying regardless. The miserable weather may have stopped the main event but it certainly did nothing to dampen the spirits of the happy campers.
This was a great opportunity to learn how our international comrades engage a broad section of youth, educating them in a setting where young people enjoy participating.
The organization of this event shows the admirable strength of JERC, who had over 300 activists working at the festival, many with little to no sleep for the 4 days.
Ógra Shinn Féin and the Irish republican struggle in general can learn a lot from this event, on how to engage with mass of young people, and make our politics and history relevant in a modern context.
We also welcome the growing links with the struggles of the Catalan and Basque peoples, and as we progress to our freedom, we must remember and assist our international comrades. Their struggle is our struggle!
No comments:
Post a Comment