At the Diada demonstration on 11 September 2026, Oriol Junqueras, president of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), made his first appearance at the annual independence rally since 2021. That appearance ended a five-year absence, as Catalonia’s pro-independence movement sought to rebuild street-level momentum after years of division. The demonstration remains a basic measure of public mobilization, although turnout is below the peak years of the procés.
Organized by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Òmnium Cultural, the mobilization included events in several Catalan cities. In Barcelona, ANC organizers estimated attendance at about 100,000, while the Guardia Urbana put the figure at 45,000. Demonstrations were also held in Girona and Amposta. The estimates reflect different counts by organizers and police, so they should be read separately.
Junqueras’s return followed a change in ANC leadership and a renewed effort to reach out to pro-independence groups. Under president Josep Vila, the organization has framed the Diada as part of a broader push to restore civic mobilization. In October, Junqueras called for participation in an ANC-led gathering at Camp Nou and described the estelada as “a symbol of freedom and justice.” He also said, “Faced with abuse of power, the response is mobilization.”
Junqueras last took part in the Diada march amid disagreements over ERC’s strategy of negotiating with the Socialists. Under Dolors Feliu and Lluís Llach, the ANC criticized that approach, and ERC members boycotted the 2022 event. Junqueras cited illness and adverse weather for his absence in 2023, when Sílvia Orriols, leader of Aliança Catalana, made a prominent appearance.
The debate over Aliança Catalana’s place in the demonstration has exposed divisions over the movement’s political boundaries. Vila has emphasized the ANC’s commitment to human rights and social concerns, without explicitly excluding the party. The stance drew criticism from groups including the CUP, which threatened to withdraw unless the ANC took a clear position against xenophobic participation. Orriols later said she had asked for an ANC-related poster or slogan to be removed to avoid “other interpretations.” The dispute has kept questions of nationalism and immigration at the centre of the movement’s internal debate, alongside the issue of civic participation.
ERC has cast its response to Aliança Catalana as a defence of a more inclusive vision of Catalan independence. Junqueras has argued that “Catalonia cannot become an increasingly smaller bunker,” rejecting a narrower definition of who can take part. Aliança Catalana, which holds two seats in the Catalan Parliament, has gained political prominence and is competing for support with established pro-independence parties. Its rise has pressured both ERC and Junts to reconsider their strategies, amid criticism of Junts’s negotiations with the Spanish government.
The Diada was held under the slogan “Hi sóc. Hi som. Independència” and featured decentralized events beyond Barcelona, including in Girona; Amposta also hosted events. In Barcelona, two columns of demonstrators converged at Plaça Catalunya. A recent report on efforts to restore unity among pro-independence groups also highlighted the changing field of Catalan independence politics.
The mobilization also fits into the ANC’s longer-term plans. Vila has identified autumn 2027, the tenth anniversary of the 1 October referendum, as the target for a major independence demonstration, saying, “It is time to take to the streets what we managed to do at Camp Nou.” The ANC has described the amnesty as a legal development, not a resolution of the independence conflict, declaring: “Nothing ends here.”
The Spanish amnesty law has also changed Junqueras’s legal position. The Supreme Court applied the law to him and lifted his disqualification, restoring his political and civil rights and removing a formal barrier to standing for elected office. His return to public campaigning comes amid a renewed push by civic organizations, while disagreements over the movement’s strategy and political identity continue.
