The Chief of Spain’s Army Defence Staff, General Jaime Domínguez Buj, was asked asked on Tuesday about the situation in Catalonia and he has implicitly compared it with a colony. The main General of the Army stated that “when the metropolis is weak” is the time when “the fall takes place”.
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| Jaime Domínguez Buj |
He added that a “processes” such as Catalonia’s happens “when the central power is weak”, as happened in 1898, when Spain lost Cuba and the Philippines, he said. His words have caused quite some controversy. Later on, Domínguez Buj, nuanced his previous statement and said he was referring to 1808 and the Spanish War of Independence against Napoleon’s Empire. Such a war helped some of Spain’s American colonies to get their independence. He also added that he was referring to other historical periods and to other empires, such as those of the British, the Turkish and the Roman.
Nowadays, almost no one in Spain considers Catalonia to be a colony, neither most of the people supporting independence. However, on several occasions during the last few centuries, the Spanish Army attacked Catalan citizens and bombarded their cities and towns to stop them from quitting the kingdom, such as in the mid-17th century, when Catalonia was independent for a week, or in the early 18thcentury or early 19th century, when Catalonia also split from Spain for a few years. On top of this, in the mid-19th century, General Espartero – who was Regent of the Kingdom – stated that Barcelona should be bombarded every 50 years in order to remind Catalans about the Spanish rule. Furthermore, Francisco Franco talked about his “right of conquest” when he entered into Barcelona, at the end of the Civil War. He was using the expression written in the laws cancelling Catalonia’s self-government institutions and Constitution, which also banned the use of Catalan language, in 1716.
Back then, after Catalans lost the Spanish War of Succession, the new king Felipe V founded Spain as a Unitarian State and no longer a union of different kingdoms under the same crown. He tried to homogenise Spain under Castile’s rules and language, imposing a centralist government and a harsh political, social and cultural repression to Catalonia through the use of force, as he recognised when he wrote he was doing so “by the right of conquest”.
The Army is there to protect the Constitution, the Army Chief points out
Besides comparing Catalonia to colonial Cuba, Domínguez Buj, pointed out that the Army is “a tool” that the Spanish Government has with which to defend the Constitution. He said that armies “have to be ready to intervene in the way governments want”, being “inside” or “outside” the country. However, he also added that he does not think that Catalonia’s conflict will be solved “through the use of force”. He also said that the Spanish Government should “win the hearts of all Spaniards” and convince them of the advantages of being a Spanish citizen.
The General also added that he feels “pain for Spain” due to the situation of the last years, particularly because of the manifold corruption cases and Catalonia’s political process. Domínguez Buj was speaking in the Madrid-based Institute for International Affairs and External Policy.
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Spanish Army Colonel Threatens Catalonia with Military Intervention
Some in Spanish Army Encouraging Catalonia's Occupation
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For a while, the media have been reporting about some people in the Spanish army in favor of a military intervention in Catalonia, as for example colonel Francisco Alamán's statements. Today recently retired lieutenant general Pedro Pitarch openly admitted that active and retired members of the military forces are working together in order to “encourage the armed forces” to occupy Catalonia.
In an interview published by El Confidencial, the lieutenant general, who has been in the reserve for three years but is still knowledgeable about the current situation in the army, states that “some military personnel are publicly urging to break ranks and go against the legal system” in order to take measures against Catalonia.
Former lieutenant general Pitarch regrets the fact that “nowadays the spirit of the coup d’état of February 23rd 1981 is back to haunt us,” and he adds that “the ill-meaning ideas that encouraged that coup are well alive.” Read more...
European Parliament vice-president proposes sending in military to prevent democratic referendum in Catalonia
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He also offered some details about how this would work. “The Spanish senate meets, has a vote, then takes over the autonomous region. We disband their parliament, the Catalan government goes back home, and the Spanish government delegation in Catalonia takes over Catalonia. The brigadier general is to be in charge of the Catalan police.” Read more...
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Thus, although this was Franco’s contribution to Hitler’s war in the East, together with economic cooperation and intelligence support, each soldier of the Wermacht’s 250th division personally made an oath of loyalty to the German dictator. Therefore, we are not talking about a purely Spanish unit that may have taken part in the hostilities, but rather about a division fully integrated into the German Army. A look at their uniforms, for example, read more...
Unfair Play Against Catalonia
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Spanish army chief makes dark comments about Catalonia secession bid
Spain's army chief has waded into the growing storm over Catalonia's secession bid from Madrid. Chief of the General Staff Jaime Domínguez Buj likened the current state of affairs in the country to Spain's losses more than a century ago during the Spanish-American War.
"When the metropolis is weak," Dominguez said, "the collapse happens."
By metropolis, he is using a term popular among academics for the center of political and colonial power in an empire. When the conflict with the U.S. ended in 1898, Spain had lost its hold over Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam,...read more...
Spanish Retired Military Officer Demands that President Mas Should Be Sent to Prison
After all the first controversial statements by retired Spanish army officer Alamán, no one has silenced him. Quite the opposite. The complicit silence of the Spanish government has given him more strength and he has asked this time that Catalan President Artur Mas be sent to prison, and also all Catalan police people who would not act to jail him. Yesterday a tribunal decided that the Colonel statements threating Catalonia were not only absolutely legal but "freedom of speech".
The retired colonel is not satisfied with sending elected President Mas to jail, he also wants the Catalan police to act againt Catalan government representatives. Again Mr. Alaman keeps his threats to Catalans and Catalan institutions. He asked “When ******* Mr. Mas seriously violates the Spanish Constitution, he needs not to be convinced, but he should be sent to jail, and if we are in a rush for this, a couple of civil guards will do, who are always willing.” Read more...
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