Free Catalan Territory

Free Catalan Territory (Catalan: Territori Català Lliure) is a designation adopted since 2012 by a number of Catalan municipal and comarcal councils. These councils passed symbolic motions declaring that Spanish state laws would apply only provisionally in their territory, pending the creation of Catalan legislation after a potential future declaration of independence. The movement began in early September 2012, when Sant Pere de Torelló was the first town to adopt such a declaration. In the following weeks dozens of municipalities and several county councils joined. Several of those motions were later challenged in administrative courts and some were annulled.

Free Catalan Territory (in Catalan, Territori Català Lliure) was the expression chosen by the councillors of Sant Pere de Torelló in order to define the status quo of the municipality on September 3, 2012, and was also the first town in Catalonia to give itself this name. From its new condition, the council of Sant Pere de Torelló announced that the October 12, holiday becomes an ordinary weekday, directly conflicting the Spanish legislation.

Since then, more municipalities joined this initiative and approved similar declarations to Sant Pere de Torelló's. Also, there are some municipalities that preferred approving independentist motions, but without explicitly declaring themselves Free Catalan Territory, like Caldes de Montbui or Tàrrega.

The October 11th 2012 the first comarcal declaration was approved. The Comarcal Council of La Garrotxa approved a collective motion to declare all that region "Free and Sovereign Catalan Territory". Also, the same day, the Comarcal Council of the Alt Penedès approved supporting those municipalities that approve that kind of motion, hanging an Estelada flag at the balcony of the offices of the Comarcal Council as a symbol "of Catalonia's people desires of sovereignty".

After the first month since Sant Pere de Torelló's declaration, a Catalan newspaper stated that there are approximately 660,000 "free Catalan citizens", which represent almost 9% of Catalonia's total population.