Learn: Catalonia Independence

While taking a beautiful stroll through the medieval streets of Girona, I wandered upon a gathering of people in front of a building with a banner stating “Llibertat Presos Politics.” Later I would find out that it was a phrase asking for the release of Catalonian political prisoners from the Spanish government.

After a few minutes of a person speaking to the group over a loud speaker the group started into a song and cheered loudly at the end as you can see and hear in the video below. I didn’t know it at the time, but that particular day I was in Girona was the first day of a trial against former Catalonian politicians who were arrested in a raid by the Spanish government.

What is Catalonia?

Catalonia (Catalunya / Catalan) is one of 17 autonomous communities which allows for an established government over specific regions.

17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular – comunidad autonoma) and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular – ciudad autonoma); Andalucia; Aragon; Asturias; Canarias (Canary Islands); Cantabria; Castilla-La Mancha; Castilla-Leon; Cataluna (Castilian), Catalunya (Catalan), Catalonha (Aranese) [Catalonia]; Ceuta*; Comunidad Valenciana (Castilian), Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian) [Valencian Community]; Extremadura; Galicia; Illes Baleares (Balearic Islands); La Rioja; Madrid; Melilla*; Murcia; Navarra (Castilian), Nafarroa (Basque) [Navarre]; Pais Vasco (Castilian), Euskadi (Basque) [Basque Country]

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html

In some ways this is similar to how states in the United States are setup. However the identity of Catalonia runs deeper than just geography. They have a language, Catalan, which is different than Spanish but rooted in some similarities. A friend of mine from Basque Country described the difference like Spanish and French.

Catalonia has one of the stronger senses of independence based on what I’ve seen and it resulted in the Catalan government creating a referendum to vote on independence, against the central government’s wishes.

The Independence Referendum

The BBC video below has some information regarding the referendum, including the violence surrounding the police against people attempting to vote in the referendum. From the votes that were cast 90% of them were in favor of independence, but the central government in Madrid stepped in.

After the referendum many of the politicians who were involved in bringing the referendum to vote were put in jail. The central government in Madrid dissolved the Catalan government and the former Catalan president fled and is still in Belgium.

The Trial & Protests

Now the trail begins starting on Feb 13th, which is when I stumbled into the speech in Girona. There are now protests and demonstrations on both sides, those who want Catalonia to have independence and those who oppose Catalonia independence. While on my trip to Spain, I was able to see demonstrations from both sides. One in Barcelona which was pro-Catalonia independence and one in Madrid which was opposing.

Additional reading on the trial and protests here:

https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/02/18/inenglish/1550477932_980984.html

https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/02/13/inenglish/1550047296_048919.html

During one night in Barcelona I met up with some friends and we walked through the demonstration area. There looked to be maybe 5,000 people in the area, however the demonstration was apparently a last minute plan and there have been much larger demonstrations. It is common to see people wearing the flag of the area they support and with Barcelona being in Catalonia, there were many people wearing the Catalonia flag. It is also common to see flags hanging from people’s balcony’s and there are far more Catalonia flags than there are Spanish flags in Barcelona and Girona based on what I saw.

The yellow ribbon is also a symbol of support for Catalonia independence and also for the protest of jailing the former Catalonia government. In previous elections Catalonians were not allowed wear or display the color yellow, but now they have ribbons, scarves, and of course flag in yellow.

Most in Madrid favor the somewhat more nationalistic view of the situation and do not support Catalonia’s independence or recognize the results of the referendum.

Conclusion & Thoughts

The matter is complicated and what is contained here is only a small amount of information about the entire situation. The world seems to have more divisive issues than before (e.g. Brexit & Border Walls), or at least the issues are more widely circulated.
Each country has it’s struggles internally and externally. As a traveler it can be difficult to understand the issues fully and to have learn each side of the story. So when traveling seeing the sites and experiencing culture is important, but also understanding the current events and what may be history in the making, is equally important.
While I don’t feel that I have enough knowledge in the matter to make a well informed opinion, I can say that there is history being made in Spain. Being there to see parts of both sides was a unique experience that I’m grateful for. The world should pay attention to what is happening with Catalonia as a way to understand what could happen in other countries.