- There are celebrations, and violence, in the air of Catalunya and its capital Barcelona. The autonomous province in the Northeast of Spain is preparing for a referendum on 1st October to decide whether its local government should begin proceedings for independence.
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| Catalunya (in red) |
The national Spanish government in Madrid
has banned the referendum, and its Constitutional Court has declared it illegal.
Yet, a large majority of the 7.5 million Catalans are determined to cast their
vote, in spite of massive concentration in the main cities of Spanish gendarmes
and military forces, and the occupation of schools by anti-independentists in
an effort to stop the poll. The situation is likely to get worse on Saturday and
Sunday.
In spite of the effort by Madrid to put an
end to the movement, manu military and
through intimidation, with police raids to the offices of Catalan political
parties, with the detention of local politicians and journalists, and the decision of the Ministry of Communications to disrupt the functioning of the Internet in order to sabotage online voting, foreign observers
are now convinced that the referendum will be held.
The largest circulation Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia published today the
results of an opinion poll commissioned by the Scottish daily The National. The data released predict
that 62% of the eligible voters will go to the polling stations in the region,
while 38% will stay home. Of these voters, 83% will vote ‘Sì’ (yes) for
independence and 16% ‘No’. Two per cent will cast a blank or invalid bulletin.
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| Front page of The National of Scotland on 30 September 2017 |
What will happen the ‘Day After’? Not clear
at this time. The referendum is non-binding within the context of the Spanish
Constitution, and following the recent judgement by Spain’s Constitutional
Court. So, no immediate consequences are expected. But a strong ‘Yes’ position
by the residents will trigger a series of actions by the local political forces
in the effort to begin negotiations with Madrid for a revision of the current
political and economic status of Catalunya, and for a longer-term option to
have a binding referendum on independence.
The European Union has said that they would not recognise the results of the 1st October poll, but its spokesmen have abstained from taking a political position on the matter. Many member states with large minorities of EU citizens within their borders are, obviously, nervous and would not like this affair to set a precedent encouraging emancipation of provinces. So, Brussels is stuck between maintaining the status quo in national sovereignty and standing for its own principles on individual rights and on the freedom of EU citizens to make democratic choices.
Catalunya: A region apart - BBC documentary
European Independentist Movements:
The Catalans are not alone
The eyes of the Europeans are fixed these days on Barcelona and the Catalan referendum of 1st October (nicknamed El 1-0). But the appetite for minority communities to seek independence or strong autonomy is present in many parts of the Continent and of Britain.
Here is a brief list:
- Scotland (in the United Kingdom)
- Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)
- Corsica (France)
- Basque Country (France and Spain)
- Padania (provinces of Lombardia (Milan) and Veneto (Venice) in Northern Italy).
- Flanders (Belgium)
- Székely Land (large minority of Hungarians in Romania)
- Feroë Islands (Denmark)
- Donbass (Ukraine. Donetsk, Lougansk and Crimea have already been separated from Ukraine)
- Voivodina (Hungarian minority in Serbia)
- Kosovo (pro-Albanian minority in Serbia)
- Serbian Republic of Krajina (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
- Transistria (Moldava)
- Various separatist movements in the Caucasus region--Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia.
Why these minorities want to break away from their current national parents? The drawing of the borders at the end of WWI, WWII and the Cold War has not been wise enough--it
did not take into account history, cultures, religions, and large movements of populations that occurred during the centuries when empires ruled Europe.
Now that the Old Continent is war-free, prosperous and better educated, the young descendants of such minorities aspire at self-governance. It would be naive, however, to think that this 'love for the ethnic roots' is spontaneous and genuine. 'Great Powers', whatever that means today, personal ambitions of self-proclaimed leaders, and industrial-financial groups from Europe and other parts of the world add adroitly oil to the ashes of history.
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