Assemblea Nacional Catalana
The Assemblea Nacional Catalana is a Catalan civic organization advocating Catalonia's political independence from Spain and promoting the wider Catalan Countries concept.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Assemblea Nacional Catalana, commonly known by its Catalan acronym ANC and translated as the Catalan National Assembly, is a civic and political advocacy organization centered on Catalan independence. It campaigns for the creation of an independent Catalan state and also supports political self-determination in other Catalan-speaking territories commonly grouped under the term Catalan Countries. The organization is not a political party, but it has played a significant role in shaping the public agenda of the Catalan pro-independence movement and in coordinating large-scale demonstrations, civic campaigns, and public-pressure initiatives. The ANC emerged from the National Conference for the Catalan State, held in Barcelona on 30 April 2011. Approximately 1,500 participants attended that meeting, which established a permanent council and an interim secretariat. The organization was formally constituted as a civic association at an event in Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi on 10 March 2012, where members approved its statutes, operating arrangements, and a roadmap toward independence. Carme Forcadell became its first president, supported by Carles Castellanos as vice president, Llorenç Sotorres as treasurer, and Jordi Martínez as secretary. The ANC rapidly became one of the principal organizing forces behind the mass mobilization of the 2010s. Its 2012 March toward Independence culminated in a major Barcelona demonstration on 11 September, Catalonia's National Day. The event placed independence at the center of Catalan political debate and was followed by meetings with the Catalan government and by calls for elections and a referendum on self-determination. In 2013, the organization expanded its activity through campaigns for fiscal sovereignty, petitions supporting a referendum or unilateral declaration of independence, and the Concert for Freedom organized with Òmnium Cultural. Its most prominent civic action that year was the Catalan Way, a human chain extending roughly 400 kilometers across Catalonia. In 2014, the ANC supported the participatory El País que Volem process, which solicited public proposals for the design of a future independent Catalan state. It also helped organize the large-scale 11 September demonstration known as the V, a mass formation combining the imagery of a V for will, voting, and victory. The organization subsequently delivered nearly 750,000 signatures to the Catalan Parliament in support of a referendum and a possible declaration of independence if a vote could not be held. The ANC's influence has also brought legal, financial, and political controversy. Spanish authorities scrutinized its finances and data-handling practices, and it was subject to tax and data-protection sanctions in 2015. Its former president Jordi Sànchez was imprisoned in October 2017 in connection with his role in pro-independence mobilization before the Catalan independence referendum. In 2023, the ANC promoted abstention in the Spanish general election as a form of protest, although it later distanced itself from the broader mass-abstention appeal. The organization maintains regional structures in Catalonia, professional groupings, and international branches, and it continues to campaign for independence and Catalan national self-determination.
History
The ANC's institutional roots lie in the National Conference for the Catalan State, held in Barcelona on 30 April 2011. The conference brought together approximately 1,500 participants and created a permanent council and an interim secretariat intended to coordinate civic support for Catalan statehood. The movement subsequently adopted the name Assemblea Nacional Catalana and developed a territorial and sectoral structure rather than operating as an electoral party. On 10 March 2012, the organization was formally incorporated as a civic association at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. Members approved its statutes, internal procedures, and a roadmap toward independence. Carme Forcadell became the first president, with Carles Castellanos as vice president, Llorenç Sotorres as treasurer, and Jordi Martínez as secretary. The ANC's early strategy combined local chapters, public education, street demonstrations, signature collection, and sustained pressure on Catalan political institutions. Its first major national campaign was the March toward Independence, which began at Seu Vella in Lleida in June 2012 and culminated in a large Barcelona demonstration on 11 September. The event, organized around the demand for Catalonia to become a new European state, was regarded as a turning point in the modern independence movement. Soon afterward, ANC representatives met Catalan president Artur Mas and urged him to call elections centered on self-determination and to organize a referendum. Mas subsequently called an early parliamentary election and framed self-determination as a central task for the new legislature. In 2013, the ANC broadened its campaign portfolio. Its fiscal sovereignty initiative encouraged taxpayers and institutions to use the Catalan Tax Agency. It also launched Sign a Vote for Independence, a petition campaign asking the Catalan Parliament to pursue every available route to a self-determination referendum and, if that failed, to consider a unilateral declaration of independence. Together with Òmnium Cultural, the ANC organized the Concert for Freedom at Camp Nou on 29 June, an event reported to have attracted approximately 90,000 attendees. The year's largest mobilization was the Catalan Way on 11 September 2013. Inspired by the Baltic Way of 1989, the action created a human chain of roughly 400 kilometers from La Jonquera to Alcanar. Participation estimates varied substantially, but the event demonstrated the ANC's capacity to coordinate supporters across Catalonia. It was followed by another meeting between ANC leadership and the Catalan government, with the government committing to take public opinion into account and to organize a consultation on Catalonia's political future. In 2014, the ANC and partner groups presented El País que Volem, or The Country We Want, as an open participatory process to gather proposals about the institutions, economy, society, and public life of a future independent Catalonia. The organization also helped coordinate the 11 September demonstration in Barcelona, in which participants formed a large V-shaped configuration along major avenues. The V represented will, voting, and victory and was intended to reinforce the demand for a vote on 9 November 2014. In September, the ANC delivered nearly 750,000 signatures to the Catalan Parliament through its petition campaign. The organization became closely associated with the broader independence process that culminated in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and subsequent institutional crisis. Jordi Sànchez, who had become ANC president in 2015 after Forcadell, was imprisoned on 16 October 2017 because of his role in pro-independence protests during the days preceding the referendum. This made the ANC a prominent part of debates over political expression, public order, judicial accountability, and the treatment of Catalan independence leaders. The ANC has also faced scrutiny over its administration. In 2015, reported investigations concerning approximately 1.5 million euros in unsubstantiated income led to an agreement with tax authorities involving unpaid VAT and a penalty. In a separate matter, the Spanish data-protection authority found the organization responsible for unauthorized use and inadequate custody of personal data and imposed a 240,000-euro sanction. These matters formed part of the continuing tension between the ANC's activist methods and the regulatory framework governing associations and political campaigning. By January 2015, the ANC reported more than 80,000 members and supporters, including more than 40,000 fee-paying members and nearly 40,000 volunteer collaborators. Its structure included ten regional subdivisions represented on the national board, professional groups, and 37 international branches. In 2023, the organization promoted abstention in the Spanish general election as a protest against the political process, although it later dissociated itself from the wider abstention appeal. The ANC remains an active civic organization focused on Catalan independence, self-determination, and international advocacy.
- 2023
Election abstention campaign
[1]The ANC promoted abstention in Spain's general election as a protest tactic before distancing itself from the broader movement-wide appeal.
- 2017
Imprisonment of president Jordi Sànchez
[1]Sànchez was imprisoned in connection with his role in pro-independence protests before the Catalan referendum.
- 2015
Leadership change
[1]Jordi Sànchez replaced Carme Forcadell as president.
- 2014
The Country We Want
[1]The ANC launched a participatory process to gather proposals for a future independent Catalan state.
- 2013
Catalan Way
[1]The ANC coordinated a human chain stretching approximately 400 kilometers across Catalonia.
- 2012
Formal incorporation
[1]The ANC was formally constituted as a civic association at Palau Sant Jordi and approved its statutes and independence roadmap.
- 2012
March toward Independence
[1]The campaign culminated in a major Barcelona demonstration on 11 September.
- 2011
National Conference for the Catalan State
[1]A Barcelona conference attended by about 1,500 people established the permanent council and interim secretariat from which the ANC developed.
Products and positioning
A non-party civic movement and mass-mobilization platform for Catalan independence, positioned as a vehicle for popular organization, public campaigning, and pressure on Catalan institutions.
Product categories. Civic advocacy campaigns · Political petitions and signature drives · Mass demonstrations and public events · Independence-related educational and communications material · Participatory policy and nation-building initiatives
Controversies
2015
Tax and data-protection sanctions
The ANC was reported to have reached a tax settlement after authorities identified approximately 1.5 million euros in unsubstantiated income. The settlement included 172,000 euros in unpaid VAT and a 44,000-euro tax penalty. Separately, the Spanish data-protection authority sanctioned the organization 240,000 euros for unauthorized use and inadequate custody of personal data.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Election abstention campaign
Catalonia
The ANC encouraged pro-independence voters to boycott the Spanish general election as a protest against the political process.
Outcome. The organization later dissociated itself from the broader call for mass abstention within the independence movement.
- 2014El País que Volem
Catalonia
An open participatory process gathered citizen proposals for the political and social organization of a future independent Catalonia.
Outcome. The project broadened the independence debate from the question of sovereignty to the design of a prospective state.
- 2013Fiscal Sovereignty
Catalonia
The ANC encouraged citizens, companies, and local institutions to pay taxes through the Catalan Tax Agency and supported the campaign with a crowdfunding initiative.
Outcome. The initiative made fiscal administration a practical component of the independence campaign.
- 2013Sign a Vote for Independence
Catalonia
A petition campaign asked the Catalan Parliament to pursue all possible routes to a self-determination referendum and to consider a unilateral declaration if a referendum could not be held.
Outcome. Nearly 750,000 signatures were presented to the Catalan Parliament in September 2014.
- 2013Concert for Freedom
Catalonia
The ANC and Òmnium Cultural organized a large concert at Camp Nou to demonstrate public support for Catalan independence.
Outcome. The event reportedly attracted approximately 90,000 attendees.
- 2013Catalan Way
Catalonia
A human chain followed the route from La Jonquera to Alcanar on Catalonia's National Day, drawing inspiration from the Baltic Way.
Outcome. The action demonstrated the ANC's ability to coordinate a region-wide mobilization and reinforced demands for a political consultation.
- 2012March toward Independence
Catalonia
A series of symbolic, festive, and protest activities began at Seu Vella in Lleida and culminated in a major Barcelona demonstration on 11 September demanding Catalonia's establishment as a European state.
Outcome. The demonstration helped move independence to the center of Catalan political debate and was followed by pressure for early elections and a self-determination referendum.
Brand decisions
2023
Election abstention positionStrategyBackground
The ANC viewed participation in Spain's general election as insufficiently aligned with its independence objectives.
Action taken
It promoted abstention among pro-independence voters as a form of protest, later separating itself from the broader mass-abstention appeal.
Aftermath
The campaign was associated with a substantial decline in the combined vote and parliamentary representation of Catalan pro-independence parties, although electoral outcomes have multiple causes.
2013
Promotion of fiscal sovereigntyStrategyBackground
The ANC sought to translate the independence argument into practical civic and administrative action.
Action taken
It encouraged taxpayers and institutions to use the Catalan Tax Agency and supported related fundraising and communications.
Aftermath
Fiscal administration became one of the movement's recurring independence-related themes.
2012
Adoption of an independence roadmapStrategyBackground
At its formal incorporation, the ANC needed to define its internal structure and strategic purpose.
Action taken
Members approved statutes, internal operating rules, and a roadmap oriented toward Catalan independence.
Aftermath
The organization developed into a coordinated civic network supporting campaigns, petitions, and mass demonstrations.
Recent events
- 2023
ANC promotes abstention in the 2023 Spanish general election[1]
Campaign · Other
The organization advocated abstention as a protest tactic, later distancing itself from the wider mass-abstention call within the pro-independence movement.
- 2013
ANC launches fiscal sovereignty campaign[1]
Campaign
The organization encouraged individuals, businesses, and local institutions to pay taxes through the Catalan Tax Agency.
- 2013
Catalan Way human chain mobilizes supporters[1]
Campaign
The ANC and partner organizations coordinated a roughly 400-kilometer human chain across Catalonia on the region's National Day.
- 2012
ANC formally established as a civic association[1]
Other
The organization was formally constituted at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona and approved its statutes and independence roadmap.
- 2012
March toward Independence culminates in Barcelona[1]
Campaign
The ANC's campaign concluded with a major 11 September demonstration that made Catalan independence a central political issue.
Sources2 sources
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