Cultural Initiative of the Strip (ICF), the Cultural Association of Matarranya (Ascuma), the Center d'Estudis Ribagorçans (CERib) and the Institut d'Estudis del Baix Cinca (IEBC) have issued a statement
Several cultural entities in the Franja region have issued a joint statement in defense of the Catalan language of Aragon following the announcement of the measures included in the government agreement between the PP and VOX parties, which proposes "freeing Aragon from the imposition of Catalan".
The text, signed by the Cultural Initiative of the Strip (ICF), the Matarranya Cultural Association (Ascuma), the Center d'Estudis Ribagorçans (CERib) and the Institut d'Estudis del Baix Cinca (IEBC), expresses "deep concern and rejection" at statements that they consider an attack on a "native, heritage and historical" language.
The associations point out that Catalan has been spoken in the eastern strip of Aragon since the Middle Ages and is the mother tongue of thousands of Aragonese people. In this regard, they assert that denying "its name, legitimacy, or deep roots" constitutes a "deliberate distortion of history and academic criteria."
Criticisms of the lack of institutional protection
The statement also denounces the situation of “institutional neglect” that, according to the organizations, Catalan currently suffers in Aragon. They point out that the 2013 Languages Law does not recognize the official status of either Catalan or Aragonese, limiting itself to generic protection that “does not guarantee full linguistic rights.”
The associations believe that this situation hinders the preservation and transmission of the language, especially in the current context of rural depopulation, globalization and demographic changes.
They also refer to various reports from the Council of Europe that have repeatedly urged the administrations to strengthen the protection of minority languages in Aragon, especially in the educational field.
They denounce cuts in programs and aid
Among the measures criticized, the statement mentions the elimination of the "Jesús Moncada" school program, the elimination of aid to cultural entities and literary prizes, as well as the announcement of possible cuts in educational and academic support structures related to the languages of Aragon.
The signatory entities believe that these decisions aggravate "the violation of the linguistic rights of minority speakers" and regret that "even their mere existence is bothersome."
Defense of a plural Aragon
The statement concludes by advocating for “a pluralistic Aragon faithful to its history”, recalling the trilingual tradition of the ancient Crown of Aragon and rejecting “uniforming models that impoverish cultural reality”.
Finally, the associations urge the Aragonese institutions to "guarantee the use, respect, protection and active promotion of Catalan and Aragonese as languages of Aragon."
