9N, Democracy at 98 years old
On 19 September 2014, the Catalan Parliament approved a call for a referendum on independence. Eight days later the president of the “Generalitat de Catalunya”, the Catalan government, announced that the vote was to be held on 9 November 2014. The same day the Spanish government announced that it would block the effort by appealing to the Constitutional Court of Spain. On 14 October, the “Generalitat” proposed a "process of citizen participation" as an alternative to the original referendum. The Spanish government announced that it would also block this effort by appealing to the Constitutional Court, which decided to hear the Spanish government's case on 4 November 2014, and provisionally suspended the vote. The Catalan Government, however, pushed forward with the "citizen participation" process, in defiance of the Constitutional Court, and voting took place as planned on 9 November 2014.
Sebastià Comes Segura was born in Tarragona in 1916. He is the supporter number 3 of the Club Gimnàstic team and 21 October 2016 he celebrated his 100th birthday. On 9 November 2014, he wanted to vote at 9AM in the morning. He woke up early and tied his tie quickly. However, he finally arrived around half past one with his daughter Josepa and grandsons Marina and Jordi. The line was still long and the crowd waited outside the building. Sebastià waited patiently in arm with his granddaughter Marina. His slow and fragile steps walked through the smile of children, grandfathers, couples and families. Yesterday Sebastià voted. He probably voted for a lot of people and memories. Lots. However, he also voted for 98 years that have been fighting so much time to be able to live a moment like this.
This few photographs pretend to be a tribute to all those slow and fragile steps. To those who voted yesterday and to those who unfortunately were note here to do so. #9N
Thanks Jordi, Marina and Josepa. @ Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.