Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Spain Jails Catalan Nationalist Leaders
Spain jailed nine of the Catalan leaders who organized the unofficial independence referendum in 2017. Their sentences range from nine to 13 years in prison for sedition. Another 3 were found guilty of disobedience, fined but spared jail time. Violence erupted in the streets of Barcelona, and police responded to the protests with tear gas and riot batons. The government also issued a new arrest warrant for former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who is living abroad. No matter which side one takes on the issue of Catalan independence, and this journal is ambivalent, the Madrid government has made independence more, not less, likely with this over-reaction.
The referendum of 2017 passed easily with about 90% of the vote. The trouble is that only 43% of the eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot. In other words, only about 39% of the electorate clearly stated a preference for leaving Spain. The pro-Madrid parties chose to boycott rather than campaign because the referendum had no legal basis. So, despite a large number voting for independence, there is a good argument for ignoring the outcome.
Following the referendum, the regional parliament declared independence and suspended the declaration, leaving room for negotiation with Madrid. Since the referendum had been held in contravention of the law, direct rule from Madrid followed, the regional parliament was dissolved and new elections were held. And then, things got messier.
Wikipedia explained, "The three pro-independence parties retained their control of parliament with a reduced majority of 70 seats and a combined 47.5% of valid votes cast. Ines Arrimadas' anti-independence Ciudadanos party was the most voted party with 25.4% of votes, the first time in Catalan history that a non-nationalist party won most votes and seats in an election. Parties which endorsed the suspension of autonomy by central government represented 43.5% of votes cast and parties which did not include independence in their electoral program amounted to 52.5% of the vote, notably Catcomu-Podem (7.5% of votes and 8 seats), which is opposed to independence but supports a legal referendum and denounced the suspension of autonomy."
The Madrid government had an opportunity to take the wind out of the sails of the independence movement with leniency here. Instead, the prosecutors were asking for 25 years in some cases. It is very difficult to strike a political/diplomatic deal when the leadership of one side is serving jail time.
It would have been vastly better for the prosecution to withdraw the charges. The referendum should have been an object of ridicule, meaningless and void. By not taking it seriously, it would not have been so serious a result.
Now, there is violence in Barcelona, and Madrid has very little room to maneuver, hardly the best possible outcome.
© Copyright 2019 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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