A new nation

Catalonia declared independence from Spain on Oct. 27. In response, the Spanish government announced that it will invoke Article 155 of its Constitution, which allows the federal government to take direct control of Catalonia’s regional government. The Spanish government also suspended all Catalan ministers and the President of the regional government, Carles Puigdemont.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy refused to recognize the referendum, calling it illegal and illegitimate. Also, Spain’s attorney general stated that Mr. Puigdemont should be prosecuted for treason and rebellion. On Nov. 2, an international arrest warrant for Mr. Puigdemont was filed, who is hiding out in Brussels for fear of prosecution by Spain. That same day, eight Catalan separatist leaders were jailed in preparation for their trials. On Nov. 8, Mr. Puigdemont turned himself in to Belgian authorities, but he was released the next day with the conditions that he will stand trial in Belgium and may be extradited back to Spain.

The prelude to Catalonia’s declaration of independence was an independence vote, which was held on Oct. 1. Over 90% of Catalans voted for independence, but voter turnout was only about 40%. On the day of the referendum, the Spanish government did everything possible to prevent the vote from happening. Spanish police clashed with voters on the day of the vote, and according to the Catalan government, 1006 civilians were injured in the fighting.

Spanish teacher Dave Rosenthal disagreed with the Spanish government’s response to the referendum. “When you try and find ways to have a conversation about what’s going on rather than using physical violence, I think that’s the appropriate way to proceed,” Rosenthal said. “It certainly felt like that’s what the people of Catalonia and the people in the government were trying to do when the federal government of Spain comes in and uses violence, unprovoked violence, to address the concerns, I have a concern with that.”

Spanish teacher Amy Seidel also offered her opinion on the Spanish government’s actions. She said she is neutral and does not lean one way or the other. “If they [the Spanish government] look at their Constitution and their laws they are doing things legally,” Seidel said. “There were some pretty aggressive moves that the government made for knocking down the vote,” she continued. Seidel mentioned the seizing of ballot boxes and police brutality. “I don’t think there’s a place for that,” she said.

This crisis may seem like it began with the independence vote, but it actually goes much further back. There are a few reasons why Catalonia wants independence. One reason is that Catalonia feels that it has been mistreated by Spain for generations. During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714, King Felipe V of Spain conquered Catalonia. And when fascist dictator Francisco Franco took power in Spain in 1939 after the end of the Spanish Civil War, he cracked down on Catalonia. He crushed their autonomy and murdered 3,500 Catalans. Also, Catalonia feels that it is very different from Spain, both linguistically and culturally.

Currently, one of the main reasons why Catalonia wants independence is because of its wealth. It is one of the richest and most economically prosperous regions in Spain. This means that in the Spanish federal system, they have to pay higher taxes than other regions, the revenue of which is given to the poorer regions in order to help them catch up economically. This explains another reason for the drive for Catalan independence: Catalans do not like their money being redirected to other regions of Spain. The Spanish government also uses economics to justify its position in opposition to Catalan independence. If Catalonia were to become independent, then the Spanish economy would be greatly hurt by losing such a well-off region.

At this point, it is unclear whether Catalonia will succeed in becoming an independent nation. Even more unclear is what the consequences of independence would be. Seidel believes that an independent Catalonia may not be feasible. “A lot of companies have been leaving. It doesn’t have the support of the EU, I think, to really be able to go it on their own. They would need more international support,” Seidel said. Rosenthal believes that an independent Catalonia could break up other parts of Spain. “There are other regions of Spain that have sought and would like to have independence,” Rosenthal said. “So could it break up other regions of Spain? I think that potential is there.”