Girona City Council pays tribute to Catalan President Lluís Companys on the 86th anniversary of his execution

Thursday, October 15, 2026

The ceremony included a floral tribute in Lluís Companys Square.

This midday, Girona City Council paid tribute to Catalan politician and President of the Government of Catalonia, Lluís Companys, on the occasion of the 86th anniversary of his execution. The ceremony was presided over by Girona Mayor Lluc Salellas i Vilar and attended by current and former members of the city council.

During the ceremony, the mayor delivered a few words in memory of President Companys and laid a floral tribute on behalf of the city, accompanied by the spokespersons of the municipal groups represented at the event. The commemoration continued with a minute of silence and a recording of "Els segadors", the official anthem of Catalonia.

"Companys is a symbol of a popular, working-class, farming, secular, republican and anti-fascist Catalonia. That is why the Franco regime executed him, and why Franco's heirs still hate him. Companys ended his life convinced of the connection between democracy, improving the living conditions of the popular classes and Catalan freedom. Eighty-six years later, we carry on his legacy: against the far right, in support of working people and for our country," said Girona Mayor Lluc Salellas i Vilar.

The ceremony took place in Lluís Companys Square, in the Pla de Palau-Sant Pau neighbourhood, in front of the sculpture dedicated to his memory. The work was created by Josep Maria Subirachs and sponsored by Escola Migdia.

Lluís Companys i Jover served as President of the Government of Catalonia from 1934 to 1940. He was executed by firing squad on 15 October 1940 at Montjuïc Castle in Barcelona, after being sentenced by a summary court martial under the Franco dictatorship. He was the 123rd president of the Government of Catalonia and the second president of the Catalan Republican government, succeeding Francesc Macià.