• Princess of Girona Awards: Protesters try to block access to guests
  • Newspaper archive: Princess Leonor in her debut: "I pledge to serve Spain and all Spaniards"

A young man with curly hair, glasses and gray suit tries to access the Congress Palace of Catalonia , where the Princess of Girona Awards are held. The independentistas concentrated to boycott the visit of the Kings and their daughters prevent the passage. They yell at him. His father takes over. "Fora d'Here! Marxa!" They scream and whistle in their faces. They cause encounters with them. They both increase. They go back. Several people, some of them young with their faces covered, follow them, making sure they leave. Two older ladies, senyera in hand, re-raise them.

Meanwhile, inside the Palacio de Congresos, several groups of young people, brand new suits and dresses, white toe shoes, quietly taste a glass of white wine. The two realities in Barcelona, ​​separated by a few hundred meters. The luck of arriving or not in time to be inside the bunker in which the head of state is forced to be in Barcelona.

The Kings , Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia have presided over the tenth edition of the Princess of Girona Awards, an act that is the first officer of the heiress to the throne in this community. The mobilizations promoted by the independentistas, summoned by groups such as the CDR or Arran - the youth of the CUP - and protected by ERC and JxCat forced the Security Forces to an important security deployment, including street cuts, to avoid incidents. The situation in Catalonia and the campaign of harassment of secessionists against the Crown means that neither the Kings nor their daughters can step on the street beyond the hotel and the events venue, both releases. Inside, the protests changed into applause and cheers. "We have no King!" They shouted out. "Long live the Re! And" inside. The contrast.

It was the first visit of the Royal Family to Catalonia after the sentence of the procés . The King in recent months had chosen to avoid the Catalan conflict. Despite the bubble of "normality" that was intended to create, the abnormality that its presence in the City requires a bunkerization forced to address the issue. And he did it in Catalan and through the presence of Princess Leonor and all the young people who have attended the event.

He has asked for "a message of commitment to our youth and their future from those who incarnate today the maximum democratic representation of our society; that of a people who decided more than 40 years ago to meet again to live together in freedom under democratic principles; recognize themselves in value of its diversity and to face with loyalty and confidence the overcoming of the past and the construction of a modern and advanced society, integrated in Europe and open to the world, "Felipe VI has asked in the presence of the acting vice president of the Government , Carmen Calvo, and the Government delegate, Teresa Cunillera . No representative of the Generalitat attended. The first deputy mayor, Jaume Collboni , attended the Barcelona City Council .

Felipe VI has opted to build bridges, in a situation of maximum tension in Catalonia, to make a proactive intervention. He has highlighted the "great democratic project that united us all", where it gives a primary role "a Catalonia proud of its identity, plural and integrative, constructive and supportive with general progress; in which the effort, responsibility, commitment, respect and civic spirit enriched the roots of the democratic society that we enjoy today.That values ​​undoubtedly represent the best history of Catalonia; they should not and cannot be a memory of the past, but an effective reality of our present and of our future. A reality in which there can be no place for violence, intolerance or contempt for the rights and freedoms of others. " While he was saying the phrase, a few hundred meters burned his images.

The King wanted to show his commitment to Catalonia, valuing his presence and that of Princess Leonor on this tenth anniversary, despite the campaign of independence. "There are occasions in which the presences acquire a more transcendent meaning than the words; in which, through attitudes, deep convictions and feelings are also expressed. And today it is one of those occasions, one of those important occasions." An idea he has repeated: "There are times when gestures or attitudes are much more eloquent than words."

"Borders today are marked by knowledge, training"

On a day when a fence barrier divided two realities in Catalonia, Felipe VI has cried out against the construction of new walls. "Young people cannot live in isolation, held in impermeable borders," he said. "The borders today are marked by knowledge, training, education, research; also the humanistic values ​​that inspire the defense of a fairer, more supportive, more sustainable world."

The Monarch has invited the almost 2,000 guests, the young winners and the whole country to "know cultures that are not their own" because "it enriches and excites". He has called on "to assume new ideas in our way of thinking" because "it helps to clarify our inner world and our vision of things; in which going out to other places magnifies us and gives us new perspectives; in which to have solid references and leaders, passionate but serene -like those of our winners-, helps to face the uncertainties of the times in which we live. "

Leonor: "Catalonia will always occupy a special place in my heart"

Precisely Princess Leonor has made her first trip with institutional discourse in Catalonia. As in Asturias a few days ago, a brief intervention, with a strong emotional charge, using, on this occasion, Catalan. "Catalonia will always occupy a special place in my heart." He also spoke in English and Arabic.

The heiress to the throne has said to know "many things of Catalan history and culture" because her parents have always spoken to her "of Girona and Catalonia always with true affection". I want to honor the Foundation as it deserves. And proudly bear his name throughout Catalonia, for the rest of Spain and worldwide. "

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  • Philip VI
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  • Infanta Sofia
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