Catalan leaders pay tribute to Lluís Companys 86 years after his execution

Catalan President Salvador Illa, Parliament Speaker Josep Rull and Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni have led tributes to former Catalan president Lluís Companys on the 86th anniversary of his execution by the Franco regime.

The three officials laid floral tributes at Montjuïc Castle, at the memorial site where Companys was shot on October 15, 1940.

They subsequently visited his grave at the Fossar de la Pedrera in Montjuïc Cemetery.

Illa called for people to "remember where we come from so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past," noting that Companys himself had been a victim of those mistakes.

The Catalan president also urged people to "look to the future with hope" and act responsibly, defending democratic values and "standing up to authoritarianism."

"We must stand for more rights and freedoms, not fewer, as some advocate," he added.

Rull said Companys had given his life for values that are now under attack by a wave of opposition to freedom and democracy.

He also recalled Companys' words after his release under an amnesty: "We shall fight again, we shall suffer again and we shall win again."

Collboni described historical memory as a tool for political action, saying that Barcelona would continue to be "on the right side of history" in what he called a particularly sensitive political year.

He said democratic forces must defend historical truth against those who deny it.

Companys, who led the Catalan government during the Second Spanish Republic and the Spanish Civil War, was captured in France during the Second World War and handed over to Franco's authorities.

He was executed by firing squad at Montjuïc Castle on October 15, 1940.

Representatives of the Socialists, Junts, Esquerra Republicana (ERC), Comuns and CUP joined the anniversary commemorations, alongside pro-independence organisations such as the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and the Council of the Republic.

The day's events began with the traditional early-morning torchlight march from Montjuïc Castle to the Fossat de Santa Eulàlia, where Companys was executed.