29th Newsletter: Politics, music and fest

June 2022

29th Newsletter

Politics, music and fest

In This Issue: 1 Olimpic Winter Games

2 Resolution against apartheid in Israel 3 "Batec": What is and what stand for 4 Local politics forum 2022

5 Acampada Jove 2022

Acampada Jove 2022 This july we are organizing again the Acampada Jove Festival. A place to learn and get involved in our project, and also have some party and music.

This is a singlular festival, a political festival organized by young people and for young people. We are referents.

Learn more in the following pages!

www.joventrepublica.cat/internacional @joventinter

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June 2022

29th newsletter

Olimpic Winter Games

Finally, the Catalan Pyrenees will not host the 2030 Winter Olympics. It has been the disagreement with the Aragon Regional Government about the geographic distribution of the competitions that has definitively sunk the bid, but as Jovent Republicà we opposed it from first moment. It was an unnecessary project for Catalonia, which would have brought more problems than solutions.

From a territorial perspective, the Catalan Pyrenees are the least populated and economically powerful region in the country. With a minimal industry and a dying primary sector, it is a region highly dependent on Tourism. The promoters of the Olympic bid promised that the Olympics would diversify the local economy, but the projected improvements (renovation of ski resorts, better communications with Barcelona and more hotel infrastructure) will only make the Pyrenees even more dependent of tourism, without offering any economic alternative.

Thinking with the environmental, this Olympic Games are irresponsible.

Currently, many Catalan ski resorts produce a lot of artificial snow to have the slopes in good condition. Within a decade, climate forecasts predict a lower level of snow than now, which increases the use of artificial snow cannons, with the waste of energy and water required by this procedure.

Catalan Government promised a referendum in the Pyrenees, which would decide if the Olympic bid went ahead. The referendum has been cancelled just like the bid, but seeing the great opposition generated against the Olympic project in the Pyrenees, it’s easy to imagine what would have happened. And the Catalan Pyrenees would not have been the only place in the world to reject an Olympics.

In the past decade, 6 cities have held referendums to decide about Olympic bids; Munich 2011, Krakow 2012, Hamburg 2015, Innsbruck 2017, Sion (Switzerland)

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June 2022

29th newsletter 2018 and Calgary 2018. In all 6 cases won the option against the games because people thinks that the cost of hold an Olympic Games is much higher than the benefits. It can't be that organizing an the Games means ruining the host's public economy to build infrastructure that, in many cases, is only used for 2 weeks.

We must not forget that the joint bid Catalonia - Aragon, has been a maneuver from Spanish state to integrate the Catalan government into a spanish project. A strategy that seeks to extinguish Catalan independence movement. We celebrate that the Olympic bid for 2030 has finally been abandoned, but we are worried because part of the Catalan government are insisting on a new bid for 2034. A project that Catalonia doesen't need because is completely unsustainable.

Resolution against apartheid in Israel

On June 17, the Parliament of Catalonia approved a resolution condemning Israel's policy to the occupied territories, and calling it a policy of Apartheid. This resolution is the political and institutional embodiment of what various human rights organizations - such as Amnesty International - have been denouncing in recent years in their reports on Israel and the Occupied Territories.

We obviously knew that the Israeli government's response would not take long to arrive, and obviously the same day its ambassador to Spain complained, calling the resolution an attack on a full democracy without any justification. Curious considering that, apart from Israel's actions in Gaza and the occupied territories, it is also famous for selling espionage software -Pegasus- to third states, always with the result of the impoverishment of the rule of law. and democracy.

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June 2022

29th newsletter Israel is thus, in every way, a destabilizing state of democracy at the global level, and at the regional level, a state that applies the policy of Apartheid. From the Jovent Republicà we are satisfied with the approval of this resolution, and we hope that in the coming weeks and months there will be more Parliaments that also condemn the crimes of Apartheid committed by Israel.

"Batec": What is and what stands for

AIt is possible that if you have been paying attention to the Catalan news lately, you have heard something about the “Batec” movement.

Batec came to light overnight in early May. It is a transversal movement that does not represent the aspirations or ideology of a specific party, or of a particular group, but represents the feeling of a whole generation that living in precariousness has to face abusive train ticket prices. in exchange for a lousy service.

More than an organization, Batec is a movement. A movement that openly raises the boycott against Renfe - the train operator of the Spanish network in Catalunya- as a tool to denounce the poor investment by the Spanish government in infrastructure in Catalonia.

In fact, the numbers don’t lie. From 1993 to 2016, almost 80 km of new tracks and 18 new stations were built in Madrid. On the other hand, in Catalonia the new track kilometers are 0, and only 5 new stations.

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June 2022

29th newsletter But this historical trend has not eased. In 2021, the Spanish government budgeted an investment of € 2,068 million in Catalonia, of which only € 740 million have finally been executed. 36% of what was expected. In Madrid the numbers are quite the opposite, in 2021 a total of € 1,114M was budgeted and a total of € 2,086M was finally invested. 184% more than originally planned. Totally embarrassing figures that show the lack of involvement of the Spanish government with Catalonia.

It is clear that with this situation the RENFE service is unfortunate. The blatant and shameful lack of investment in recent decades has made the rail network disastrous, with daily delays and cancellations affecting thousands and thousands of people every day.

From the Jovent Republicà we are on the side of the "Batec" movement. We believe that if for decades Spain has done nothing to invest more in Catalonia, it is time to raise our voices and start action and boycott. As the movement's slogan reads, "If Spain doesn't pay, neither do we."

So, we will continue to be by Batec’s side when they reopen the station shifts to prevent people from picking up the train ticket and any other action. We hope, however, that the Spanish state will accelerate and not only commit itself to investing what is budgeted for this year, but also to investing everything that has not been invested in Catalonia in recent years.

www.joventrepublica.cat/internacional @joventinter

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June 2022

29th newsletter

Local politics forum 2022

On May 28th, just a year away from the next local elections, we hosted the 2nd edition of the Local Politics Forum, where hundreds of youth from Jovent Republicà gathered in Montblanc, host town of Acampa Jove Festival for so many years, for a whole day to debate and discuss topics such as how to prepare for the local elections for next year, verbal and non-verbal communication, or how to create a strategy, among others. We also had the chance to share experiences with current Local Elects from our organisation, to learn, grow and develop, critical thinking. Because it is vital that the voice of the youth is loudest and clear in every City Hall across the country.

The event was closed by our spokesperson, Kènia Domènech, who emphasised the importance of being present both in the street and at the institutions; how Jovent Republicà must be the leading thread of youth politics in the Catalan Countries, on how together we are stronger to defend our rights and beliefs.

The evening ended with a concert in the beautiful Montblanc city walls to say goodbye to the municipality that hosted thousands of youth from across the Catalan Countries for so many years, we could not be more grateful!

Because we are the red thread of the combat, 90 years of fighting for the right of self-determination, social justice and feminism! www.joventrepublica.cat/internacional @joventinter

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June 2022

29th newsletter

Acampada Jove 2022

Summertime is upon us, and with it comes the season of music festivals. That time of the year were for a couple of days your only worries are making it to first row on your favorite concert and losing your voice for singing too loudly. In the Jovent Republicà we are expert on this subject, as on the 14th, 15th and 16th of July we will celebrate our 25th annual Acampada Jove, the main musical and political festival of the Catalan Countries. After two years of pandemic, we are coming back stronger than ever and ready to sing and dance to the best groups in our country, including La Pegatina, Buhos and Auxili.

But in the months coming up to the big event, our whole territory fills up with rhythm and music as we gather to celebrate the Musica Jove Contest, a set of concerts also organized by our organization in which young bands compete to get the chance to play at the Acampada Jove. Almost every weekend for the past few weeks you’ll see big events happening from North to South and from East to West, including the Balearic Islands, getting people that first taste of the summer season.

But not only are our concert the reference point for gathering the best bands and the perfect entertainment, but because a main element of our festival is its political engagement. We want to prove that young people have a lot to say and that we are committed with fighting for our culture and our language and that we care for a feminist, republican, left-wing and independent Catalonia. All through the three days of the Acampada Jove, we will have several speakers and political events for you to learn about different topics that for sure won’t let you indifferent.

All of this would not be possible without the commitment of the hundreds of volunteers from the Jovent Republicà which both on the months prior to the

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June 2022

29th newsletter event and on that weekend work hard to make sure all the attendees have the time of their lives. From the bar service during the concerts to medical staff, it is all organized by a group of young and committed people, that’s what makes the Acampada Jove so special.

Come join us on the 14th, 15th and 16th of July and get ready for a weekend you will never forget. Come to the Acampada Jove!

www.joventrepublica.cat/internacional @joventinter

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