Referendum in Catalonia on October 1st. Referendum in Catalonia
The area of modern Catalonia is comparable to the Dnepropetrovsk or Chernigov region of Ukraine. Nationalist sentiments have been “fermenting” in the region for years. Supporters of secession are not satisfied with the autonomy status and today, October 1, a referendum is being held in Catalonia, which Madrid does not recognize. Realist talks about the events that took place on the eve of the vote and the historical past of Catalonia.
Republic of Catalonia?
Despite the fact that the Spanish authorities sealed polling stations and prohibited the launch of electronic voting, a referendum started in Catalonia on the morning of October 1. The Spanish press calls it "1 de Octubre" and follows events closely. There were frequent protests in the region demanding separation from Spain. Madrid is mainly criticized for the fact that the authorities suppress the economic, social and cultural rights of Catalans.
Residents of the region and representatives of the autonomous parliament believe that they have fairly good opportunities for development without control from the capital of Spain. Many local politicians are banking on Catalonia being economically successful. For example, in 2016, Catalonia's share of Spain's GDP reached 19.03%. The region has been a significant contributor to the country for many years. Also, Barcelona and the autonomy remain a major tourist region with vibrant cultural traditions. At the same time, Catalans complain that they are trying to “Spanishize” them - in schools in Catalonia there is a law on teaching in Spanish. In the region itself, Catalan and Occitan are also spoken.
Chronology of the “breakup”
1479- unification of Spain as a result of the dynastic alliance of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile
1714- the end of the siege of Barcelona - the last battle of the War of the Spanish Succession, which resulted in the loss of autonomy for the Catalans. By the way, every year on September 11, the National Day of Catalonia is celebrated in memory of this event.
1932- creation of a Catalan government called the Generalitat
1930s- arrests of supporters of secession and suppression of protests by nationalist forces
1979— Catalonia receives autonomous status
2006- Catalonia’s financial independence is officially expanding within the framework of autonomy
2010— The Constitutional Court of Spain recognizes the concept of the “Catalan nation”, the priority of the Catalan language, and the expanded financial and judicial powers of the region as illegal
January 16, 2014- the majority of deputies in the Catalan parliament voted in favor of holding a referendum on independence
November 9, 2014- a survey among Catalans - more than 80% of those who came would vote for independence (with a turnout of 2.25 million people, the population of the region is 7.5 million people, of which 5.5 million people are voters)
November 9, 2015— a parliamentary resolution (with the support of members of the Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) coalition and the Candidacy of Popular Unity (CUP) party) launched the process of secession from Spain and the creation of an independent Catalan Republic
October 1, 2017- holding a referendum on the independence of Spanish Catalonia. The question put to a vote is: “Do you want Catalonia to be an independent state in the form of a republic?”
2017-10-01T09:52:00+03:00
2017-10-02T08:40:47+03:00
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UPD.22:00: Voting in the independence referendum has ended in Catalonia. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy refused to recognize the vote in Catalonia as a referendum on self-determination.
More than 760 people were injured as a result of clashes with police in Catalonia
UPD.18:00: The Spanish region is deciding whether to secede from the country in a referendum, but the central authorities consider the voting illegal. The tense situation in Catalonia, which gradually escalated on the eve of the referendum, is now out of control. Those polling stations that were not blocked by police opened this morning. Soon there were reports of the first clashes between law enforcement officers and referendum supporters who tried to break into closed polling stations and cast their vote. Rubber bullets and stun grenades were used to disperse the crowd, and videos appeared on the Internet of police kicking unarmed people and using batons. The mayor of Barcelona estimates that approximately 460 people were injured. The other side claims that 11 police officers were injured. At the same time, according to the Europe Press agency, only one person has been detained so far. However, many Barcelona residents managed to vote in the referendum without any problems. Alexander Tishkov, who lives in the capital of Catalonia, spoke about this. The Catalan government claims that despite the center's attempts to disrupt the vote, 96 percent of polling stations in the region were able to open.
UPD.15:00: Eleven police officers were injured in clashes over the referendum. As reported by the Spanish Ministry of Internal Affairs, they prevented the voting, which is considered illegal in Madrid. A few hours ago, the autonomy authorities announced that about 40 people were injured in clashes with the police. The security forces used batons and rubber bullets.
Spanish police assaulting a voting center in barcelona (catalunya) pic.twitter.com/HFlmShkYZu
Josep morancho (@jmorancho) October 1, 2017
Manresa (Catalunya). Shocking images. Forum for Democracy stands firmly with people's rights to referenda, self-determination & secession. pic.twitter.com/eUhpwD9cl6
Thierry Baudet (@thierrybaudet) October 1, 2017
Upd 12:30. At least 13 people suffered minor injuries after police used rubber bullets and stun grenades. According to local media, arrests began. The Spanish authorities consider the vote on Catalan independence illegal. The security forces are trying to disrupt it. They block polling stations and confiscate ballot boxes. However, Catalan officials insist that voting continues.
Police fire rubber bullets near one of the polling stations, people run away.
National police seize ballot boxes at a site in Tarragona.
QUÉ HORROR. Madrid, 2017.
Jóvenes y mayores hacen saludo fascista y cantan alegremente "Cara al Sol" en Cibeles.https://t.co/H9To0vs0Rd pic.twitter.com/5dWhTDX66y
Juan Miguel Garrido (@Juanmi_News) September 30, 2017
Upd 11:10. The voting is taking place despite the opposition of the federal authorities, the press secretary of the Catalan Solidarity for Independence coalition, José Enrique Volk, told Echo of Moscow. He added that there are a lot of people who want to vote.
Demonstration in the main square of Tarragona
A group of revolutionary students entered one of the classrooms of the Autonomous University of Barcelona in the middle of classes.
Upd 11:00. Tractors of peasants who came to support and defend polling stations during the referendum on the independence of Catalonia, contrary to Spanish laws, arrived in the city of Tarragona.
Columns of tractors from Catalan peasants are heading to Barcelona and other cities.
Upd 9:50. The Catalan authorities allowed local residents to vote at any polling station. This is due to the fact that the Spanish police have closed more than half of the stations.
A referendum on independence, banned by the authorities, is expected to take place in Catalonia. The Spanish authorities banned it. The main intrigue is not even how they will vote, but whether they will be able to do it at all.
Spanish police have closed most potential polling stations for Catalan independence. The Catalan authorities previously promised that more than 2 thousand polling stations would be open on the day of the plebiscite.
According to the instructions, police should confiscate ballots and ballot boxes. The boxes, by the way, were ordered online from China for 5 euros apiece. Madrid media joke that the bins look like oversized food containers.
It is noted that the police should not use force and can only react harshly to provocations. However, even the day before, people lined up at polling stations to vote. Supporters of the referendum, according to the ministry, used minors and elderly people as human shields from law enforcement officers.
In addition, on Friday, hundreds of farmers brought their tractors to Barcelona to create barricades from the equipment if necessary. The confrontation also unfolded on the Internet. Spanish authorities blocked websites supporting the referendum and denied regional officials access to 29 programs that could be used in the vote count.
The EU authorities share the position of the Constitutional Court of Spain, which considered the referendum illegal.
In Catalonia, the preliminary results of the independence referendum have been announced - 90%, more than two million people, said “yes” to the separation of Catalonia from Spain. The head of the autonomy, Carles Puigdemont, convened an emergency government meeting to decide what to do in the current situation.
The pressure from Madrid is unprecedented. What happened during the voting does not correspond to European democratic values: carnage in the streets, rubber batons, tear gas. In the near future, the final results of the referendum will be transmitted to the Catalan Parliament, and deputies will determine the future of the region.
Yesterday the police blocked civilians, today everything is exactly the opposite. The Spanish flag, as if ahead of events, was folded. The youth say - imagine what could have happened if the crowd and the guards were left alone.
“To be honest, I think the Catalan police here are protecting citizens from the Spanish police,” said Catalan MP Toni Gastella.
Member of the Catalan Parliament Toni Gastella, one of those who is about to declare independence from Spain, came to the demonstration.
“Members of parliament will do in the coming days what the people of Catalonia are asking us to do, and we have a mandate for this, a democratic mandate that gives the right to declare independence. And we will do it! - said Member of the Catalan Parliament Toni Gastella.
A couple of blocks from the police department there is another large demonstration. The crowd walks towards Plaza Catalunya in an unusual silence for Barcelona. The wave of police violence forced both supporters and opponents of independence to come out to a common march.
“Even yesterday we expressed different points of view at the referendum, but here today we are all together. Look around, not everyone here voted for independence,” said Cristina Rodriguez, a professor at the University of Barcelona.
But still, the majority here want to secede - according to the preliminary results of the referendum, 90%. Turnout the day before - more than two million - about a third of the population of Catalonia
“The referendum has legal force. The Catalan independence referendum, in which 90% of participants voted on Sunday to separate the autonomy from Spain, has won and its decisions must be implemented,” said Catalan Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont.
As soon as the results of the referendum are officially announced - the last ballots are taken into account, parliament will probably immediately pass a law on secession. Politicians in Madrid feel they have lost control of the region. They demand that the Prime Minister of Spain immediately apply Article 155 of the Constitution - to abolish autonomy and introduce manual control from Madrid throughout Catalonia.
“The fact is that the referendum took place from the point of view of our law, the law of Catalonia. We now have two laws: the one that establishes the parliament in Catalonia, and the one that determines the parliament in Madrid. The decision of our parliament is absolutely legal, and we asked Madrid to hold a referendum, but you know, this is absolutely impossible, so we follow our law and there is no other alternative,” says Luis Pairato, a lecturer at the University of Barcelona.
Barcelona responds by demanding that the Spanish police and national guard be removed from Catalonia.
The number of civilian casualties during the referendum, according to the mayor of Barcelona, is already about a thousand. But on the part of the security forces, according to recent data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there were many casualties - more than four hundred soldiers. The OSCE, UN and European authorities called for an end to unnecessary and disproportionate cruelty. But they refused to recognize the results of the voting in the EU referendum.
“In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, yesterday's vote in Catalonia was illegal. As European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has repeatedly said, this is an internal matter for Spain,” said European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas.
The European Union stands in solidarity with the government of Mariano Rajoy. The head of the European Commission notes that if Catalonia does secede from Spain, the young republic has nothing to do in the EU. In addition, Catalonia has already received an official refusal from Brussels - it will not mediate in negotiations with Madrid.
The Spanish authorities, probably for this very reason, have not yet recalled from Catalonia thousands of security forces loyal to Madrid transferred to the region. There have been no clashes on the streets for a day now, but the hour X - the moment of declaration of independence - is still ahead. The entire top of the Catalan government, deputies and mayors are under threat of arrest - everyone who takes the side of Barcelona and not the Spanish capital.
It is not yet known how the confrontation between Barcelona and Madrid may end, but it is already clear that Catalonia’s desire for independence has become a gauntlet thrown down to the entire European Union as a structure. And it is precisely this that can deal the EU a blow incomparable in strength and destructive impact to the orderly, noble and relatively civilized Brexit.
The silence of the European Commission (EC) regarding the referendum that took place on October 1 in Catalonia was clearly dragging on, and only in the afternoon of October 2 did a message from EC representative Margaritis Schinas appear that “yesterday’s vote in Catalonia is illegal.”
The referendum in Catalonia presented not only Spain, but also the entire European Union with an unprecedented challenge: to recognize or not the choice of a particular territory and the ethnic group living on it? Until now, the EU has resolved a similar issue based on “political expediency.” Kosovo's independence was given the green light without any referendum and despite the tough position of Serbia. The referendum in Crimea in favor of the reunification of the peninsula with Russia was not recognized, citing the position of the Ukrainian authorities. In both cases, the position of Brussels (and Washington) met the objectives of countering Russia and its allies.
And now a referendum on self-determination broke out in a member state of the European Union. Judging by the first statements, the confrontation between Madrid and Barcelona will be more dangerous for EU unity than Brexit, the invasion of migrants or the debt crisis.
Of the more than 2.2 million ballots counted, about 90% of the votes were for independence, according to Catalan government data. This result cannot simply be discounted. The first reaction of the European community was revealing. The head of the specially created International Parliamentary Delegation for the Catalan Referendum, Slovenian Dimitri Rupel, said at a press conference in Barcelona on voting day that the independence referendum was prepared “in accordance with the current legislation of Spain.”
These words meant that it was not the Catalan authorities, but the central government of Spain that took illegal steps in an attempt to disrupt the vote. The cabinet of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy took unprecedented measures, including the arrests of Catalan officials, cutting off access to electronic voting systems, confiscating and destroying ballot papers, blocking voting stations, and using rubber bullets. According to incomplete data, over 800 people were injured.
“Spanish police are beating civilians trying to vote” – such messages filled the media the next day. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau asked the Spanish Prime Minister to resign immediately: “Rajoy was a coward, hiding behind prosecutors and the courts. Today he crossed all the “red lines” with police actions against normal people, old people, families who stood up for their basic rights. It seems clear to me that Mariano Rajoy should resign." “We call on the European institutions to condemn the violence suffered by European citizens,” said Catalan government minister Raul Romeva.
Obviously, Madrid is betting that the population of Catalonia and the provincial leadership will back down at the last moment and the problem will disappear, as it has disappeared more than once. However, the calculation did not come true, and now no one undertakes to predict the further development of events.
The head of the Generalitat (Government) of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, immediately after summing up the preliminary results of the referendum, said that the attempts of the central authorities to “violently suppress” the vote were a key argument in favor of the independence of the province and the relevant documents would be sent to the local parliament for ratification. “On this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia won the right to an independent state in the form of a republic,” he emphasized. Puigdemont called on European leaders to acknowledge the obvious: the Catalan crisis “is no longer an internal Spanish issue.”
This call is already being responded to. In particular, the leader of the British Labor Party Jeremy Corbyn called on Prime Minister Theresa May to demand that Mariano Rajoy “stop the repression” against Catalonia. “Violence cannot be the answer,” stressed Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. “Rahoy has an almost hopeless situation. He must defend the rule of law, but this risks further strengthening separatist sentiments in Catalonia and creating new problems in the long term,” said Lewis Orriols, an expert at the Carlos III University in Madrid.
From a legal point of view, the situation looks ambiguous. In 1978, at a pan-Spanish constitutional referendum, the provision on the indivisibility of Spain, which was included in the Basic Law of the country, was supported by about 90% of the participants in the plebiscite in Catalonia itself. However, since then, Madrid has repeatedly blocked Barcelona's legislative attempts to develop new models of relations. In particular, in 2010, the Spanish Constitutional Court overturned the agreement reached by the central authorities and the leadership of Catalonia in 2006 on expanding the scope of autonomy. In 2012, the Catalan government invited Madrid to discuss the possibility of expanding the financial autonomy of the province, but the discussion was again blocked by the Spanish cabinet.
Based on financial and economic considerations, Barcelona's position is stronger. The volume of tax and other annual contributions from Catalonia to the Spanish budget is about 62 billion euros. The financial flow in the opposite direction is noticeably less – 45 billion euros. Annual losses of 17 billion euros for one province are a serious trump card for campaigning under the slogan “Stop feeding Madrid.” In addition, Catalonia's share of total Spanish exports is more than 25%. At the same time, the growth rate of Catalonia's exports exceeds those of the rest of Spain, the eurozone and the European Union as a whole. “The economy of autonomy subsidizes Spain,” emphasizes Bogdan Zvarich, leading analyst at the investment company Freedom Finance.
However, when assessing the financial side of the problem, the question also arises of how economically sound Catalonia might be in the event of a complete severance of relations with the rest of Spain. The structure of the main trading partners of the Catalans is such that in 2016 the EU accounted for 65.8% of Catalan exports. At the same time, France accounts for 16.1% of export flows, Germany - 11.9%, Italy - 9.1%, Portugal - 6.7%, Great Britain - 6.0%. If we theoretically allow the introduction of a trade and economic blockade of Catalonia by the European Union at the request of Madrid, then such dependence on EU markets will not be a plus for Barcelona, but a serious minus.
At the same time, it is obvious that the events of October 1, 2017 made a return in relations between Madrid and Barcelona to the period before the referendum impossible. For the EU, this means that it will have to rethink many of its principles. What is happening in Catalonia is being closely watched in the Basque Country and in other regions of Europe that can follow the path of Catalonia. The Basque party EH Bildu has already presented a bill in the regional parliament that is a copy of the Catalan referendum bill.
Illustration copyright AFP/Getty Image caption
It would be hard to find two cities with more opposing views on Sunday's Catalan referendum on independence from Spain than Madrid and Barcelona.
Residents of Barcelona went to the polling stations to vote in a referendum declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court and banned by Madrid.
BBC correspondents watched the referendum from two cities on Sunday.
View from Barcelona - Piers Schofield
When Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy addressed the nation on Sunday evening, Catalans could be forgiven for viewing him as a man from another world, not to mention potentially another country. “We have become an example for the world,” said the Spanish Prime Minister.
And it all started peacefully. Before dawn, in pouring rain, hundreds of Catalans gathered under their umbrellas outside a school in the Gràcia district in the heart of Barcelona to protect the polling station from possible police action.
Daniel Sanchez told us that he arrived at one in the morning. “Grandfather would be proud,” he says, and draws parallels between the Spanish state today and the Franco era. He's not the only one who's talked about this.
Two mossos - Catalan policemen (Mossos d'Esquadra - Catalan police) arrived at this school at dawn. Seeing a huge silent crowd blocking the entrance, the police left to applause and shouts: “Votarem!” - “We will vote!”
Video from Girona shows women being dragged along the ground by their hair. At a polling station in Barcelona, dark-uniformed police throw men and women onto the stairs.
And ominous footage of the national police clashing with their Catalan counterparts; local firefighters being hit with batons; Catalan police, pushed back by the Civil Guard, who broke into the school; Catalan policeman in tears.
- Catalonia: tens of thousands rallied in support of the referendum
Former regional leader Artur Mas said after the vote what many here were thinking: "There are peaceful people everywhere trying to cast their votes - and there is a cruel Spanish state that is preventing people from voting."
Many Catalans did not want this referendum, controversial or not. But anger and outrage over Sunday's events will only increase support for a genuine bid for independence.
View from Madrid - James Badcock
What is seen as oppression in Catalonia is seen by many in Madrid as the rule of law and the defense of national unity.
As Spanish police forcibly dragged people from polling stations and confiscated ballot boxes, hundreds of people in Madrid's Plaza Mayor waved Spanish flags and chanted "¡Viva España!" in support of the country's security forces.
"We must defend Spain because it is a great nation," said Rosa Maria Gonzalez, waving a giant Spanish flag at a crowd of about 10,000 people who gathered outside Madrid's city hall this weekend to demonstrate against the referendum.
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Rosa Maria Gonzalez is not only unconcerned by the police brutality, but believes that the Spanish government has done too little to stop the insubordination of Catalan leaders. "Now is not the time for half-hearted measures. We need to return all powers over health, education, other services - we need to return all this to Madrid and leave Catalonia without a penny. This will be a good lesson for them."
But 32-year-old banker Jorge Capillas says talks between Spain and Catalonia are now inevitable - but not about independence.
"We are not radicals. We are normal Spaniards who want our country to remain united. We love Catalonia; my wife and mother are Catalan, but Catalonia is not like Scotland, a country that joined the union. Catalonia has always been Spain."
- Quick divorce between Catalonia and Spain: myth or reality?
- Independence of Catalonia: what will happen to Barça in case of secession
By the way, about the Spanish government, which was never ready to discuss the issue of self-determination with the Catalan leaders - Deputy Prime Minister of the Spanish government Soraya Saenz de Santamaria called the vote a farce. Hours later, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said there was no referendum at all.
However, the last word in Madrid in connection with the vote may not ultimately remain with them.
Pedro Sánchez, leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Spain's second largest, tweeted that Sunday was a "sad day for Spanish democracy," calling for "calm and dialogue." Sánchez proposes reforming the Spanish constitution in search of a federal solution to nationalist demands in Catalonia and the Basque Country.
The left-wing Spanish party Podemos (We Can), whose support the PSOE needs to have if it is to have any chance of winning a future majority in Spain's parliament, is advocating for a legally binding, legal referendum in Catalonia.
