Aquitaine regional councilor Dàvid Grosclaude (Occitan Party) yesterday halted a hunger strike he was on since last week after receiving a written, signed commitment from two ministries of the French government to unblock the establishment of the Public Office for the Occitan Language (OPLO, Occitan acronym) before summer. Grosclaude's protest (left picture; the words read "Enough is enough of being despised!") was receiving support from elected political representatives in Occitania and beyond. Rallies in several Occitan towns were held yesterday to show popular backing to the councilor.

Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine regional councils last year agreed to establish the OPLO. But for the office to start working, it was needed that a decree was published in the official gazette of the French state, which is yet to be done. Grosclaude believes the French government was unjustifiably blocking the move, and thus decided to launch a hunger strike.

The commitment from the French government "proves that when we come together to demand what is owed to the promotion of our language, we can get it," Grosclaude wrote in his first anouncement after abandoning his hunger strike. The pro-Occitan mobilization "is unmatched with anything I have ever met," Grosclaude further said.

French government to join OPLO

The written commitment has been signed by the ministers of Education and Culture, and is addressed to the presidents of Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées. According to Grosclaude's anouncement, the French government says it will "associate" itself with the OPLO, which means that it will "participate in [its] operation and funding alongside the regions."

The OPLO is set to launch a public linguistic policy for the promotion of the Occitan language. The office will be interregional, therefore its policy will be a partially pan-Occitan one.

Further information:

• Follow-up on Nationalia: Dàvid Grosclaude's pro-Occitan hunger strike hits one week mark and Dàvid Grosclaude starts hunger strike for Occitan