Plataforma per la Llengua
A Catalan civil-society organization that promotes the language's use, legal recognition, and social presence.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Plataforma per la Llengua, literally “Platform for the Language,” is a non-governmental organization established in Barcelona in 1993 to defend and expand the use of Catalan. Its work focuses on linguistic rights, language policy, social cohesion, and the normalization of Catalan across the territories where it is spoken, including Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Andorra, Northern Catalonia, La Franja, and the Catalan-speaking community of Alghero. Although its institutional base is in Barcelona, the organization operates through delegations, partnerships, public campaigns, research, and advocacy across a wider Catalan-speaking area. The organization emerged from a group connected to the L'Esbarzer cooperative and initially concentrated on the visibility of Catalan in everyday consumer life. Its first major public action, in December 1993, collected approximately 18,000 Coca-Cola cans and arranged them in Barcelona's Plaça de Catalunya to form the message “Etiquetem en català,” calling for product labelling in Catalan. This campaign established a characteristic method that has continued throughout the organization's history: combining public demonstrations, consumer advocacy, institutional lobbying, media work, and negotiations with companies and public authorities. Plataforma per la Llengua works to make Catalan a common language of social interaction and a practical language available in all areas of public and private life. Its campaigns address education and universities, public administration, justice, cinema and audiovisual media, culture, games and toys, business, consumer information, digital services, and the integration of immigrants and new arrivals. The organization also defends the right of Catalan speakers to use their language without discrimination and advocates greater recognition of Catalan in Spain, France, Italy, and the European Union. A recurring part of its work has been engagement with companies. The organization has campaigned for Catalan-language packaging, websites, customer service, software, mobile services, and promotional material. It has reported progress involving major international companies in sectors such as technology, telecommunications, retail, food, and consumer goods, while continuing to criticize gaps in implementation. It has also supported legal and institutional measures intended to strengthen consumer rights, including the Catalan Consumer Code adopted in 2010. The organization expanded significantly after 2000, developing a professional structure and a larger membership base. It created recurring public events, including a festival for games and toys in Catalan, activities for Erasmus students, and events with immigrant organizations presenting Catalan as a tool for participation and social cohesion. Its biannual journal, La Corbella, reports on campaigns and publishes commentary on sociolinguistic issues; the publication received a Federation of Cultural Associations of Catalonia award in 2008. Plataforma per la Llengua has also participated in debates surrounding Catalan language legislation and public policy, including linguistic policy, the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, immigrant reception, cinema, consumer protection, education, and the position of Catalan in the European Union. Its influence is primarily civic and advocacy-based rather than commercial. The organization does not sell a conventional product portfolio; its principal offerings are campaigns, research, public-interest advocacy, educational resources, events, publications, and support for language rights. In 2012, the death of founder and prominent leader Martí Gasull i Roig in a mountaineering accident became a defining moment for the organization. Plataforma per la Llengua later established the Martí Gasull i Roig Prize in his memory. The organization marked its twentieth anniversary in 2014 by recreating its original labelling protest with more than 40,000 Coca-Cola cans. Since 2022, it has also organized SAGA, a gaming convention intended to encourage the creation and consumption of video games in Catalan. As of 2025, the organization reported more than 26,000 members, along with substantial social-media followings.
History
Plataforma per la Llengua was founded in Barcelona in 1993 by young people linked to the L'Esbarzer cooperative. The organization was created in response to concerns that Catalan lacked sufficient visibility and practical presence in commerce, public institutions, education, media, and everyday social interaction. Its first major action was a highly visual protest over the absence of Catalan on consumer products. In December 1993, supporters collected approximately 18,000 Coca-Cola cans and arranged them in Plaça de Catalunya to spell a message calling for labelling in Catalan. The action established the organization's long-term combination of public mobilization, consumer advocacy, media pressure, and institutional engagement. During the second half of the 1990s, the Platform focused heavily on cinema. It organized protests and public-information campaigns seeking more Catalan dubbing and subtitling. In 2001, representatives protested at Warner cinemas in Catalonia following the decision not to dub Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone into Catalan. These efforts contributed to a broader policy debate that eventually led to Catalan cinema legislation in 2010, designed to establish a 50 percent target for Catalan dubbing or subtitling. The organization has argued that weak enforcement reduced the law's practical effect. The Platform also participated in debates around major Catalan language and social-policy measures. Its advocacy intersected with the 1998 law on linguistic policy, the 2006 Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, legislation concerning the reception of immigrants in 2010, and the 2010 Catalan Consumer Code. In consumer policy, the organization worked with local authorities and institutions to promote procurement of products carrying Catalan-language information. This effort culminated in the Girona Agreement in 2010, when hundreds of local authorities called for stronger action. Campaigns helped increase Catalan labelling on selected products, including wine, water, milk, and beer, and supported the inclusion of Catalan labelling obligations in the Consumer Code. From around 2000 onward, Plataforma per la Llengua grew from a small activist group into a professional organization with a broader membership base and recurring public programming. It expanded its work into public administration, education, universities, justice, business, consumer services, culture, audiovisual media, games, toys, and digital products. It has pressed multinational companies and domestic businesses to provide Catalan-language packaging, customer service, software, websites, and promotional material. It has also promoted Catalan as a tool for welcoming immigrants and building social cohesion, cooperating with immigrant organizations and organizing activities for Erasmus students and new arrivals. Recurring events became an important part of the organization's public identity. The annual Festival for Games and Toys in Catalan began shortly before Christmas 2004 and promotes access to toys and games with Catalan content and instructions. In 2005, the organization began a welcome event for Erasmus students and a Sant Jordi gathering with immigrant organizations. These initiatives were intended not only to defend the language but also to present it as an inclusive language of participation. The Platform has worked with numerous immigrant associations and has supported peer-based language learning and public communication campaigns. The organization has maintained an international dimension by advocating recognition of Catalan in the European Union and by raising the issue of linguistic rights in European institutions. It has also criticized alleged linguistic discrimination affecting Catalan speakers, including in the justice system and in dealings with Spanish state institutions. Its geographical activity extends beyond Catalonia through delegations and cooperation with organizations in the Valencian Community, Balearic Islands, Andorra, Northern Catalonia, La Franja, and Alghero. The death of Martí Gasull i Roig on 23 September 2012 in a mountaineering accident on Manaslu, Nepal, was a major loss for the organization. Gasull, one of its founders and prominent leaders, was later honored by the Generalitat of Catalonia and by other institutions. Plataforma per la Llengua created the Martí Gasull i Roig Prize, an annual distinction recognizing notable contributions to the defense or promotion of Catalan. In 2014, the organization commemorated its twentieth anniversary by returning to Plaça de Catalunya and arranging more than 40,000 Coca-Cola cans into a renewed demand for Catalan labelling. A history of the organization was also published that year. In 2022, Plataforma per la Llengua launched SAGA, an annual gaming convention designed to support video games in Catalan and to connect language advocacy with youth culture and the digital economy. The organization continues to publish La Corbella twice a year and to combine research, public campaigns, institutional lobbying, corporate engagement, events, and educational initiatives. By 2025, it reported more than 26,000 members and a substantial social-media presence. Its continuing objective is to make Catalan fully usable across public and private domains while defending the rights of Catalan speakers throughout the language's wider territorial area.
- 2022
SAGA gaming convention launched
[1]The first SAGA convention was held to promote video games made available in Catalan.
- 2014
Twentieth-anniversary labelling campaign
[1]The organization recreated its founding protest with more than 40,000 cans and renewed its call for Catalan labelling.
- 2012
Death of Martí Gasull i Roig
[1]Founder and prominent leader Martí Gasull i Roig died in a mountaineering accident in Nepal.
- 2010
Girona Agreement and Catalan Consumer Code
[1]Local authorities endorsed stronger Catalan-labelling commitments, while the Catalan Consumer Code included provisions concerning Catalan-language product information.
- 2008
La Corbella receives media award
[1]The organization's journal was recognized by the Federation of Cultural Associations of Catalonia.
- 2005
Integration and university initiatives expand
[1]The Platform launched a welcome fair for Erasmus students and began recurring Sant Jordi activities with immigrant organizations.
- 2004
Catalan Games and Toys Festival begins
[1]The organization began an annual event promoting toys and games with Catalan content and instructions.
- 1993
Organization founded in Barcelona
[1]Plataforma per la Llengua was established by young people linked to the L'Esbarzer cooperative to promote Catalan and defend the rights of its speakers.
- 1993
First major product-labelling protest
[1]Around 18,000 Coca-Cola cans were collected and arranged in Plaça de Catalunya to demand Catalan-language labelling.
Products and positioning
A civil-society language advocacy organization positioned around the normalization of Catalan, protection of linguistic rights, consumer and institutional accountability, and the use of Catalan as a shared language of social cohesion.
Journal
La Corbella
A biannual publication reporting on the organization's activities and campaigns while providing opinion and analysis on sociolinguistic questions affecting Catalan. It functions as both an internal communication channel and a public-facing vehicle for language advocacy.
Cultural event · 2004
Festa per al joc i la joguina en català
An annual festival promoting the availability and visibility of toys and games with Catalan-language content, packaging, and instructions. The event connects consumer advocacy with children's culture and language normalization.
Gaming convention · 2022
SAGA
An annual gaming convention created to promote video games in Catalan and encourage a stronger Catalan presence in youth culture, interactive entertainment, and the digital economy.
Award · 2013
Martí Gasull i Roig Prize
An annual award established in memory of founder and leader Martí Gasull i Roig. It recognizes a person or organization considered exemplary in defending or promoting the Catalan language.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Etiqueteu en català anniversary action
Catalonia
For its twentieth anniversary, the Platform used more than 40,000 Coca-Cola cans to recreate its original public demand for Catalan product labelling.
Outcome. The action renewed public attention on corporate compliance and called on authorities to enforce existing requirements.
- 2010Girona Agreement
Catalonia
The Platform coordinated a commitment by hundreds of local authorities and institutions calling for stronger Catalan-language labelling and related public procurement measures.
Outcome. The campaign supported the adoption of Catalan consumer-protection provisions, though the organization continued to criticize incomplete application.
- 2005Catalan as a language of integration
Catalonia
The Platform worked with immigrant organizations, Erasmus students, and new arrivals to present Catalan as a shared language for participation and social cohesion.
Outcome. The organization developed recurring events, peer-learning initiatives, and public communication materials promoting Catalan among newcomers.
- 2001Harry Potter cinema protest
Catalonia
Representatives protested at Warner cinemas after Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was not dubbed into Catalan.
Outcome. The protest publicized the limited availability of Catalan-language cinema and reinforced the organization's campaign for film-language rights.
- 1995Catalan cinema dubbing and subtitling campaign
Catalonia
A series of cinema protests, public-information initiatives, and media interventions sought greater availability of films dubbed or subtitled in Catalan.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to policy discussions and preceded Catalan cinema legislation adopted in 2010, although enforcement remained weak.
- 1993Etiquetem en català
Catalonia
The Platform collected approximately 18,000 Coca-Cola cans and arranged them in Barcelona's Plaça de Catalunya to demand Catalan-language labelling on consumer products.
Outcome. The action established the organization's consumer-labelling agenda and helped bring corporate language practices into public debate.
- Catalan in the European Union
European Union
The organization campaigns for greater recognition of Catalan in European institutions and for its eventual official status in the European Union.
Brand decisions
2022
Launch of the SAGA gaming conventionProduct launchBackground
The organization identified video games and youth culture as important areas for expanding Catalan's everyday and digital presence.
Action taken
It created SAGA as an annual convention focused on games published or made available in Catalan.
Aftermath
SAGA became part of the Platform's continuing cultural and language-normalization program.
2013
Creation of the Martí Gasull i Roig PrizeOtherBackground
The award was established following the death of founder and prominent leader Martí Gasull i Roig in 2012.
Action taken
The Platform created an annual prize recognizing exemplary contributions to the defense or promotion of Catalan.
Aftermath
The prize became a continuing memorial and recognition mechanism within the organization's advocacy work.
Recent events
- 2022
SAGA gaming convention launched[1]
Product launch · Campaign
The organization introduced an annual gaming convention focused on promoting video games created or published in Catalan.
- 2014
Platform marks twentieth anniversary with renewed labelling protest[1]
Campaign
More than 40,000 Coca-Cola cans were used in Plaça de Catalunya to revive the organization's founding demand for Catalan product labelling.
- 2012
Martí Gasull i Roig dies in mountaineering accident[1]
Leadership change
A founder and prominent leader of the organization died during a mountaineering expedition on Manaslu in Nepal.
- 2010
Catalan cinema law adopted after language advocacy[1]
Regulation
The Catalan government adopted cinema legislation intended to ensure that half of films shown in Catalonia would be dubbed or subtitled in Catalan, although implementation remained limited.
- 2010
Girona Agreement supports Catalan product labelling[1]
Campaign · Regulation
Hundreds of local authorities endorsed a commitment calling for stronger legal requirements and public procurement practices favoring product information in Catalan.
- 2008
La Corbella receives cultural-media award[1]
Other
The organization's journal received an award from the Federation of Cultural Associations of Catalonia.
- 2001
Platform protests lack of Catalan dubbing for Harry Potter[1]
Campaign
Representatives protested at Warner cinemas in Catalonia after the first Harry Potter film was not dubbed into Catalan.
- 1993
Plataforma per la Llengua founded in Barcelona[1]
Other
The organization was created by young people associated with the L'Esbarzer cooperative and began campaigning for greater visibility of Catalan in public and commercial life.
- 1993
Catalan labelling campaign uses Coca-Cola cans in Plaça de Catalunya[1]
Campaign
A public campaign collected around 18,000 cans and arranged them to demand product labelling in Catalan.
Sources2 sources
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