Independence or Bust

October 1st not only marked the first day of the tenth month of the year but it also was the day that history was made. That Sunday, the Catalonian regional government administered a referendum on the subject of Catalonian independence. The referendum was called “unconstitutional” by the Spanish Constitutional Court and it found strong opposition from the central government in Madrid. The validity of the referendum was also put into question as the European Commission claimed that the referendum was indeed illegal but that it remained as a Spanish issue, and not a European issue. Carles Puigdemont responded, saying that the vote was indeed a “European” issue.

Before the referendum, Spanish authorities raided the Terrassa offices of the private delivery company, Unipost, and found hundreds of envelopes with the Catalan government’s logo. The authorities encountered protestors that were trying to block their entrance into the building, but their efforts were unsuccessful. This raid is one of many, as the Spanish police is following the order to prevent the vote from occurring.

The day of the referendum saw an unprecedented amount of violence from the Spanish authorities as they beat down voters headed to polling stations. The number of injured on the Catalan side is debated as the regional government claims hundreds were injured, but that number has not been verified by an independent source.

As the day came to an end, the regional government of Catalonia released a statement of the preliminary results, disclosing that 43% of eligible voters have voted, and of that number, 90% have voted in favor of Catalan independence.

The King of Spain, Felipe VI, took an unusual political stance in his speech on the Tuesday following the election, accusing the Catalan leaders, the many Catalan mayors that have pledged to make sure the election follows through and the regional government officials, of disloyalty. His speech called for national unity while disregarding the violence that occurred in Catalonia the day of the referendum.

The referendum has polarized the region, pitting nationalists against unionists, and has serious legal implications as many officials are put on trial for possible sedition such as the head of the Mossos D’Esquadra, the policing authority of Catalonia, for disobeying the orders to stop any voting that came from Madrid. This has led to an investigation into the group and their leader. The referendum has caused strains on the unity of Spain, and remains as one of the biggest power struggles between Madrid and Barcelona.

Sources:

The Guardian, Violence in Catalonia needed closer scrutiny in age of fake news

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/08/catalonia-demo-injuries-fact-checking

CNN, King of Spain accuses Catalan leaders of “unacceptable disloyalty”

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/03/europe/catalonia-general-strike-protests-barcelona/index.html

BBC News, Catalonian referendum: Spanish raid deals blow to vote

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41325663

New York Times, Catalonia’s Independence Referendum: What’s at Stake?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/world/europe/spain-catalonia-referendum.html

Business Insider, Catalonia will declare independence within days, regional leader says

http://www.businessinsider.com/catalonia-declare-independence-from-spain-in-days-carles-puigdemont-2017-10