Atlantic Sentinel

Tag: Catalonia

Analysis and commentary about the independence crisis in Catalonia by Nick Ottens (based in Barcelona) and Ainslie Noble (an expert in Basque and Catalan identity issues).

  • Putting Catalan Police Under Spanish Command Is a Bad Idea

    Carles Puigdemont Mariano Rajoy
    Catalan president Carles Puigdemont listens to Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy giving a speech in Barcelona, August 18 (La Moncloa)

    Spain’s latest attempt to prevent the Catalans from voting on independence next week risks making the situation in the region more dangerous.

    Prosecutors have ordered the 17,000-strong Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force, to report directly to the Interior Ministry in Madrid as opposed to Catalan authorities in Barcelona.

    Spanish officials had accused the Mossos (troopers) of not doing enough to disrupt preparations for the October 1 vote.

    Spain claims it is protecting public safety, but its power grab could have the opposite effect. (more…)

  • Mixed Views from France on Catalan Referendum

    French coverage of the Catalan independence referendum has something of the left-right split we saw in Germany, but most of the media are united in calling on Catalan and Spanish leaders to meet each other in the middle. (more…)

  • Catalan Referendum Animates Flemish, Leaves Dutch Cold

    The Dutch aren’t sure what to make of Catalonia’s independence bid. Only in the last few days have their news media started paying attention to what’s happening in the region.

    Flemish media are more interested. Maybe because they have pragmatically managed their differences with the French-speaking Walloons for decades and are wondering why the Catalans and Spanish can’t do the same? (more…)

  • Spanish Raids, Arrests Cross Red Line: Puigdemont

    Spain has “crossed a red line,” Catalan president Carles Puigdemont said after gendarmerie raided offices of his regional government in Barcelona and arrested a dozen civil servants.

    “On October 1, we are called to defend democracy from a repressive and intimidating regime,” Puigdemont told Catalans in a televised speech.

    He argued that the actions of the Spanish state, which considers a planned independence vote illegal, are “totalitarian” and amount to the suspension of Catalan home rule. (more…)

  • Partisan Divide in German Views on Catalan Referendum

    German views on Catalonia’s independence bid break down along partisan lines. Left-wing commentators sympathize with Catalan pleas for self-determination and blame Spain for the impasse. Conservatives focus on the illegality of the planned October 1 vote. (more…)

  • Spanish Far Left Takes Rajoy to Task for Catalan “Repression”

    Pablo Iglesias, the head of Spain’s far-left Podemos movement, has criticized Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for his handling of the Catalan separatist challenge.

    In a series of tweets, Iglesias takes Rajoy and his government to task for their “fear of democracy”.

    Defending Spain requires providing political solutions to historical problems. Prison and repression will only compound the problems.

    Iglesias accuses Rajoy of aggravating support for independence by refusing to negotiate with the Catalans and argues that the only way out of the crisis is to let them vote. (more…)

  • Iraq Takes Similar Approach to Separatist Challenge as Spain

    Like Spain’s, the central government of Iraq is determined to prevent an independence vote for its largest majority. But like the Catalans, the Kurds are determined to vote anyway.

    Iraq’s parliament voted on Tuesday to stop a referendum in its Kurdish region and instructed Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to preserve national unity.

    Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to do “whatever is necessary” to prevent a referendum on secession in Catalonia. At his government’s request, Spain’s Constitutional Court has suspended the Catalan referendum law.

    Catalan regional authorities are pressing ahead. So is the Kurdistan Regional Government, which controls the northern part of Iraq. (more…)

  • The Arguments For and Against Catalan Independence

    Barcelona Spain
    Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, Spain (Egor Myznik)

    Catalans are due to vote on independence from Spain in a referendum next month, despite objections from Madrid.

    Most of the arguments for independence are cultural or emotional. Opponents are more likely to point out concrete economic and security risks. (more…)

  • The Val d’Aran: The Minority Within the Catalan Minority

    The one area of Catalonia where there is remarkably less enthusiasm for independence from Spain lies in its northwest: the Val d’Aran, the only comarca north of the Pyrenees.

    Its population of less than 10,000 speaks Aranese, a form of Gascon, itself a variety grouped (though not without controversy) under the rubric of Occitan, a Romance language once spoken in the south of France.

    In France, these “varieties” (a term I use for the sake of neutrality) of Occitan, such as Gascon, Provençal and Limousin, have been relegated to folkloric remnants harking back to the Troubadours. They are subject to token efforts, such as bilingual signage and partially subsidized school instructions, but are derisively considered patois dialects or, worse still, bastardized versions of French.

    In Catalonia, however, Aranese enjoys co-official status alongside Catalan and Spanish. (more…)

  • Catalans Determined to Vote in Referendum Declared Illegal

    Barcelona flag
    Flag of Barcelona, Spain, September 17, 2013 (Fredrik Rubensson)
    • Spain claims control of Catalonia’s public finances and police force in an attempt to prevent the region from voting on independence.
    • According to regional president Carles Puigdemont, Spain has “crossed a red line.” (more…)

  • Don’t Force Catalans to Choose Between Independence and the Status Quo

    Plaça de Catalunya Barcelona Spain
    Night falls on Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, September 11, 2017 (Sergio Marchi)

    Last night I wrote that time is running out to avoid a constitutional crisis in Spain. The Catalans are determined to hold an independence referendum in October; the central government in Madrid is determined to prevent one.

    This seems to be a case of an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object, but there may still be a way out. (more…)

  • Time Is Running Out to Avoid a Constitutional Crisis in Spain

    Barcelona Spain
    Columbus Monument in Barcelona, Spain (Unsplash/Benjamin Voros)

    The governments in Barcelona and Madrid continue on their collision course. Time is running out to avoid a constitutional crisis in Spain.

    • Catalonia’s regional parliament legislated this week for an independence referendum from Spain.
    • Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to do “whatever is necessary” to stop it.
    • His government challenged the legality of the referendum to the Constitutional Court, which promptly suspended the law while it considers arguments.
    • Prosecutors filed criminal charges against senior Catalan officials, including the regional president and speaker of parliament.
    • Law enforcement agencies in Catalonia have been instructed to seize ballot boxes.
    • The central government urged Catalan mayors not to assist in preparations for the referendum. The mayor of Tarragona complied. The mayors of Badalona, Girona and Sabadell have said they support the referendum. The mayor of Barcelona is undecided. (more…)

  • Catalan Nationalists Are Not Campaigning “On Backs of the Dead”

    Barcelona Spain demonstration
    Catalans demonstrate for independence from Spain in Barcelona, July 10, 2010 (Wikimedia Commons/Josep Renalias)

    Ramón Pérez-Maura has a blistering op-ed in Politico, where he takes the Catalan independence movement to task for “campaigning on the backs of the dead” of the recent terrorist attacks.

    This is ludicrous. (more…)

  • Support for Catalan Independence Down, But It Could Still Happen

    Barcelona Spain demonstration
    Catalans celebrate their National Day in Barcelona, Spain, September 13, 2012 (Fotomovimiento)

    Support for independence is falling in Catalonia, but it could still happen if opponents don’t vote.

    A comprehensive survey of public opinion conducted every four months for the regional government found that only 41 percent of Catalans want to break away from Spain.

    But those voters are more motivated to turn out. (more…)

  • Barcelona and Madrid Are on a Collision Course

    Barcelona Spain
    Columbus Monument in Barcelona, Spain (Unsplash/Benjamin Voros)

    Since Catalonia’s regional government announced it plans to hold an independence referendum in September, tensions with the central government in Madrid have been rising:

    • Catalan leaders have said they would declare independence within 48 hours of a vote to break away from Spain, regardless of turnout.
    • Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has dismissed the plan as an “authoritarian delusion”.
    • Defense Minister María Dolores de Cospedal has warned that the armed forces are tasked not only with “protecting the values of democracy and the Constitution, but also the integrity and sovereignty” of Spain.
    • Spain’s Constitutional Court has blocked the €5.8 million the Catalan government had set aside to pay for the referendum.
    • Catalonia is in the process of separating its tax agency from Spain’s in case the region decides to secede. (more…)