Catalonia wants to hold a referendum this October concerning its
desire for independence from Spain. The Spanish courts are using every judicial
trick in the book to suppress the vote.
Catalonia officially sets independence vote for October 1 – CNBC
One method of Madrid's coercion is to threaten any Catalan
official who lends aid to the referendum.
The former Catalan president Artur Mas has been banned from
holding public office for two years after being found guilty of disobeying the
Spanish constitutional court by holding a symbolic independence referendum
three years ago. -- The
Guardian
This is no minor matter to a regional government worker, who might
be stuck between the conflicting demands of a separatist regional Catalan
administration, and a national Spanish court threatening such a worker.
Separatist leaders now face fines and suspension from office if
they go ahead with the referendum, which has been declared illegal by the
central government in Madrid, with the support of Spanish courts.
Some 6,000 ballot boxes have been stored in a secret location for
fear that they could be confiscated by the police. The Catalan Parliament has
been fast-tracking legislation amid walkouts by unionist lawmakers and
objections from the assembly’s own lawyers. -- New
York Times
So now, those in favor of the independence referendum in Catalonia
are trying to stage this 'illegal' referendum without subjecting the working
participants to the legal consequences of such an action.
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau told Catalan regional president Carles
Puigdemont in a letter Friday she couldn’t allow use of [its voting] centers
until he could outline plans for protecting public employees from the
consequences of working on the vote, according to El Pais. Spain’s constitutional
court on Thursday said it would ask 947 Catalan mayors to avoid taking part in
the referendum. -- Bloomberg
Apparently, somebody has not thought this process through. At some
point, if independence is sought, one is going to have to openly defy the
centralizing government, or the process is going to fail. If the regional
employees are not on board for the duration, the separatists have a real
problem. At the present moment, the separatists are looking where to
locate the ballot boxes while insulating their employees from sanction by a
Madrid government, which is serious about stopping Catalan independence.
On Thursday, [Spanish Prime Minister] Rajoy told Catalonia’s
mayors, elected officials and civil servants that their duty was to “prevent or
paralyze” an illegal referendum. As Spain’s leader, he added, “I will do
everything necessary without giving up anything” to stop secessionism in its
tracks. -- New
York Times
This is not to say that Catalans do not want independence or
deserve it. It is to say that they apparently have not steeled themselves for
the struggle.
Of course, the separatists talk proudly.
…Catalonia’s government has promised that the referendum will be
binding, even if it is declared illegal by Spain’s constitutional court and
even if Catalan opponents of independence boycott it. --New
York Times
Bold words, no doubt; unless one realizes that the separatists'
first concern is protecting regional employees who may have no stomach for the fight. Catalonia's leaders seem to
have little resolve for facing the possible repercussions, or even a threat of
legal consequences, however minimal, which may be the sine qua non of
independence.
One cannot imagine the Continental Congress being so concerned
about protecting local stamp tax collectors from the ire of King George III. I
seriously doubt that Jefferson Davis' first concern was to make sure that local
post office employees south of the Mason Dixon line were not fired by President
Lincoln.
But all is not lost. As I have noted, in my writings on Catalonia,
behind every polite Catalan working to effect change peaceably, is the threat
of a Basque separatist, who might be sympathetic to armed struggle, and has a
history. The Basque are starting to speak up. For a while, it looked like the
Basque might be waning; but the blood has started to boil again.
Hundreds of Basques turned out on the
streets [in the Basque city of San Sebastian /Donostia] on Saturday in support
of Catalonia and its planned referendum on independence from Madrid, an
ambition long fought for by Basque separatists.
The demonstration was symbolic, in a
region still marked by decades of violence waged by [the] armed [Basque]
separatist group [the] ETA, and where the desire for independence remains
strong despite the current peaceful times.
Arnaldo Otegi, a veteran leader in the northern region who was
once part of ETA and now heads up Sortu, a party that campaigns for
independence, was present at the march. -- The
Local.es
This is what Spain really fears. The Catalans will bring up
lawyers. The Basque will bring up former guerrilla fighters. Both the Basque
and the Catalans are sympathetic to each other's struggles. Where they have
differed is in their willingness to use violence.
Another difference is that the Basque do not mind outrightly
defying Madrid. When Spain declares one of their separatist
parties illegal, the Basque vote for the party anyway. This has led to an
odd situation where the winner of an election was disqualified, while the loser
was imposed by the Madrid authorities. The Basque did not care. As soon as
Madrid declares one of their separatist parties illegal, the Basque form
a new political
party almost identical to the one banned.
Spain's Supreme Court has barred a new Basque political party,
Sortu, on the grounds that it is a continuation of Batasuna, the banned
political wing of the terrorist group ETA. -- The
Telegraph (2011)
The Basque persevered, and sued to get Sortu made legal.
Though officially, the violent leftist separatist group, the ETA,
has disarmed… officially… Spain cannot be sure. Apparently, armed struggle
holds a mystic chord for much of the Basque as this made in 1996 video showed.
Even as recently as 2015, Spain was going after defiant Basque
separatist parties.
A trial of 35 members of Basque separatist parties including
Batasuna, the banned political wing of the armed Eta group, got underway on
Thursday in Spain after being repeatedly postponed. -- The
Local.es
Even more frightening, as it must be to Madrid, this resolve cuts
across the political spectrum. The center-rightist PNV [Basque Nationalist Party]
is officially as much against Madrid as the leftist ETA is, differing only in
method. Independence is not merely a leftist fantasy. The PNV might wax and
wane in emphasizing its independence agenda according to whims of the polls,
but ultimately they also want out of Spain.
Basque National Party hopes September election will pave way to
independence – IBTimes (2016)
Catalonia has heart, to be sure; but what it seems to lack is
determination. The Basque could supply that, and now that they have started to
seriously enter the debate decidedly on Catalonia's side, Madrid has a real
problem. The Basque Country and Catalonia are the only truly productive
economic regions in Spain -- the only thing keeping Spain from third-world
status.
This would be getting interestinger and interestinger, were it not
for nervous Catalan public employees. But the Basque are now on board, so
it merits watching.
Besides once again thrusting the cause of Catalonian independence
back into the public’s eye, the importance of this demonstration is twofold.
First, it’s significant for the identity of the protesters. Basque has [sic]
long wanted independence from Spain, and their efforts have gravitated towards
the violent. The Basque people showing up to publicly support the October first
independence referendum gives Catalan a public boost for their efforts by having
the blessing of the original Spanish independence group.
-- Texian
Partisan
Let's hope no violence occurs, whatever the outcome. But to
an American like me, Spain remains fascinating.
Mike Konrad is the pen name of an American who wishes he
had availed himself more fully of the opportunity to learn Spanish in high
school, lo those many decades ago. He writes on the Arabs of South America athttp://latinarabia.com. He also just
started a website about small computers athttp://minireplacement.com.
