BARCELONA: Thousands of Spaniards joined a rally in Barcelona on Sunday in response to a call by a grassroots group that uses humour to mock Catalonia’s separatist push.

The group facetiously calls for the division of Catalonia into two parts. One would be for separatists who want to leave Spain and the other for those who want to remain a part of Spain, which would include the cities of Barcelona and Tarragona where unionist support is strong.

Miguel Martinez, the president of the “Platform for Tabarnia” association, said that the movement is “a serious joke, a parody.” It began with jokes on social media that went viral.

“We won’t let the secessionists lead Catalonia to disaster,” Martinez told the Europa Press news agency. “We will never take the initiative and we will never become a political party, but we will always be there to push back.” The group’s barbs include the slogan “Barcelona is not Catalonia,” which twists the separatist slogan “Catalonia is not Spain.” It has also named political satirist Albert Boadella as “Tabarnia’s president in exile,” making light of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who has fled to Belgium to avoid a court probe into his role in a failed secession bid.

Along with Spanish flags, many rally-goers carried “Tabarnia” flags created by the group.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2018