Nearly 300 people marched in Perpignan, at the call of Catalanist movements, to oppose the new logo of the city chosen by the municipality of Louis Aliot (RN), noted journalists from AFP.
On the new logo, the slogan “
Perpignan la Catalane
” was notably replaced by “
Perpignan la radiant
” with a representation of Saint John the Baptist on a coat of arms in Catalan colors bordered by a blue-white-red border.
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"
Aliot is insidiously cutting back what remains of Catalan in Perpignan
", assured Jaume Pol, president of the Catalan party Unitat Catalana.
“
He had already taken a small step by permanently placing the French flag on the ramparts of Castillet (emblematic medieval monument of the city) as a mark of position.
The Catalans have nothing to expect from Aliot's policy.
It was necessary and it is necessary to react
”, he insisted.
Launched by the collective “
Yes to the Catalan country
”, the event brought together all the Catalan associative movements but also some political leaders, such as the vice-president of the Occitanie Region Agnès Langevine, former opponent of Louis Aliot in the municipal elections.
Mayor RN Louis Aliot, elected in 2020, defended the new logo, presented just before Easter and which had caused controversy locally, saying that catalinity was "
very linked to religion
" to justify the representation of a Saint.
Perpignan town hall
“'Perpignan la Catalane' was only a symbol, added Francesc Bitlloch, delegate of the Catalan National Association (ANC) in the Pyrénées-Orientales.
“
But by touching the symbol it is a sign that they will not stop there, they will also tackle everything else, the language.
They will continue to pull out the roots, see what the limits are, test.
It will serve them elsewhere.
Perpignan is a real laboratory for the extreme right,
”he said.
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Mayor RN Louis Aliot, elected in 2020, defended the new logo, presented just before Easter and which had caused controversy locally, saying that catalinity was "
very linked to religion
" to justify the representation of a Saint.
And with the addition of the tricolor colors, he wanted the logo to "
refer to the French Republic
"
.
He also considered that
“
Perpignan la Catalane
”
was
“
reductive
”.
