Republic Day Billboards in Barcelona

In May and June of 2021, informational billboards dedicated to May 28 – Republic Day of Azerbaijan – were displayed across various platforms of the Barcelona metro. The campaign, however, sparked anger from Armenia and the Armenian community living in Catalonia, Spain. The Catalan news portal El Nacional reported on the controversy, noting that it had led to diplomatic tensions.

The Association of Armenians of Catalonia, the Armenian Cultural Association of Barcelona, and Armenia’s Ambassador to Spain, Vladimir Karmirshalyan, voiced their objections to the placement of the billboards in the metro.

The billboards highlighted the historic fact that Azerbaijan was the first country in the East to establish a democratic republic. Displayed against visuals of liberated territories, the city of Baku, and the Azerbaijani tricolor flag, the campaign aimed to raise awareness of Azerbaijan’s history and statehood.

Every day, tens of thousands of commuters viewed the billboards, which were placed according to the official schedule of Barcelona Metro and remained on display for one month.