In November 16th 2003 regional elections took place in Catalonia. Two parties participated on a pro-independence platform. Estat Català, the oldest party in Catalonia, founded in 1922 to create a Catalan State, obtained 1,890 votes (0,06 %). It was formed by former President Francesc Macià (1859-1933). The same man, a former colonel expelled from the army for his Catalan ideas, also founded in 1931 the Catalan Republican Left (ERC). This party was in fact the other one with a pro-independence program in 2003. It obtained 544,324 votes (16,44 %) and 23 out of 135 MPs. Independence was only supported by 16,5 % of the people. Nowadays it is supported by a majority: What has changed?
From the results of the 2003 elections a government was formed by leftist parties: two unionists and ERC. The Presidency was given to Pasqual Maragall, a socialist from the PSOE party who defended the unity of Spain. Problems with the economy, bad infrastructure, and social fractures led the new government to propose a new Statute to allow self-government for Catalonia within the framework of the Spanish constitution. Strictly so, because the most of the government (PSOE, ICV-EUiA) were firmly unionists as was the oposition, CiU.
Two years later a Statute, less powerful than expected, was approved by the Parliament by a 88 % of the MPs. Only the Popular Party (PP) a party founded by a former Franco minister, voted no. The President of the Spanish Government visited Catalonia and said “I will support the Statute that the Catalan Parliament approves". He was applauded. It was the first time Catalonia gave way.
Meanwhile the PP began a campaign of hate against Catalans: boycott of Catalan products, defamation, signatures against the Statute... Their main argument was that all the Spaniards should vote on the Statute. To defuse this campaign, the President of Spain (PSOE) and the leader of Catalan opposition (CiU) agreed in 2006 to weaken the text. It was approved, with many changes, in the Spanish Parliament. A former PSOE VP explained laughing and cheering that they had “filleted” the text and it was unrecognisable. Many Catalan people felt cheated, humiliated. But Catalonia gave way again, for the second time. A campaign of “this or nothing began” and the changes were approved in a new referendum with 74 %. At that moment the rallies for the Catalans “right to decide” began, with 125,000 people on February 18th, 2006 and 200,000 in December 1st of the following year. This same year left-wing parties won the elections again and formed a government led by a Spanish born President from PSOE with the support of the pro-independence party ERC. The intention was to consolidate a strong bridge with Madrid to save the Statute and avoid the failure of dialogue. But President Jose Montilla failed miserably.
PP was not satisfied. Their intention was to defeat the Socialist party and so they denounced the already cut Statute to the Constitutional Court. Shamefully, the Court decided in 2010 to cut the already much-reduced staute for the third time. With these changes Catalonia was to have even less power than before (!). The day after this decision, on July 10th, 1,100,000 people demonstrated in Barcelona under the slogan ‘We are a nation. We decide’. All the parties, including PSOE were there. Many people understood that to achieve self-rule was a utopia. Most unionists who believed in an agreement with Madrid saw it was impossible. Only humiliation. A new pro-independence movement began to arise. In April 2011 the Catalan National Assembly was founded. But before that, Catalan parties tried, for fourth time, to have a dialogue with the Spanish State.
The opposition alliance CiU finally won the Catalan elections in 2010 and Artur Mas was elected President. His program was unionist and in favour of an agreement with Spain. It was called the “Fiscal agreement” to share taxes. In 2012 the Parliament supported this proposal with a 84% of votes. But the Spanish Government was clear: no negotiation on fiscal questions was possible no matter how much support the idea had. Moreover: in 3 years the Spanish government blocked in courts 25 laws passed by the Catalan parliament.
When this 4th attempt failed most of CiU approved a new platform: a referendum about independence. With this one, CiU won the elections in 2012 and formed a government with ERC. This same year monster rallies began in Catalonia with tens of thousands of people: 1,100,000 in 2012, a human chain of 1,600,00 in 2013, a “V” in 2014 with 1,800,000... all of them peaceful. In 2014 a fifth attempt to dialogue with Spain was implemented: Catalan Parliament approved a call for a referendum of self-determination. A delegation was sent to the Spanish Parliament. Once again the answer was no. Under these circumstances the Catalan Government called a so-called “participation process” where 2,305,000 people voted. The Spanish answer was to charge the President of Catalonia and 2 Ministers. This led the coalition CiU to break in two and to call elections in 2015.
For first time in history the pro-independence parties obtained the victory with 47,8 %, growing from the 16,5 % of 2003. The unionist faction of CiU disappeared from the Parliament with less than 3 %. Under a new President, Carles Puigdemont, the majority tried again to agree a referendum with the Spanish Government. For the sixth time, it was impossible. Finally the Government called a Referendum on October 1st, 2017. Spanish military Police seized the ballot papers, leaflets, Catalan media and telecommunications, Printing houses and public servants. Madrid said that the referendum had been prevented. But on the day ballot boxes and papers appeared in the polling stations. Then the Spanish Police assaulted a hundred polling stations, beating voters. One of them lost an eye; and 1,066 were wounded. Police brutality was extreme. In spite of this 2,286,217 people voted with a turnout of 43,03 %: Yes won with 90,18 %. Spain’s response, 15 days after the referendum, was to jail the leaders of the two grassroots movements who had organised peaceful rallies since 2012.
As the Catalan Government had promised, the result of the referendum was implemented. But first the President of Catalonia “suspended” the declaration of independence in case Spain wanted to dialogue. The proposal of a referendum agreed by both sides was still alive. But the Spanish answer, this 7th time, was worse than ever before: to suspend the autonomy of Catalonia, sack the Government and jail them. Hours before this attack the Catalan Parliament declared independence and asked the Government to implement it. It was October 27th. The same day Catalan self-rule was suspended. A part of the Government left to Brussels to ask for a European solution while the rest was jailed only six days after the declaration.
So, when you hear or speak about the crisis in Catalonia, please remember that Catalans tried seven times to reach an agreement. Always giving ground. And they received in return: lies, humiliations, boycotts, beatings and jail. In this period of 14 years Catalans have voted in 4 referendums and 5 elections and always in the same direction: in favour of more autonomy and the right to decide. And always the Spanish answer has been refusal
From the results of the 2003 elections a government was formed by leftist parties: two unionists and ERC. The Presidency was given to Pasqual Maragall, a socialist from the PSOE party who defended the unity of Spain. Problems with the economy, bad infrastructure, and social fractures led the new government to propose a new Statute to allow self-government for Catalonia within the framework of the Spanish constitution. Strictly so, because the most of the government (PSOE, ICV-EUiA) were firmly unionists as was the oposition, CiU.
Two years later a Statute, less powerful than expected, was approved by the Parliament by a 88 % of the MPs. Only the Popular Party (PP) a party founded by a former Franco minister, voted no. The President of the Spanish Government visited Catalonia and said “I will support the Statute that the Catalan Parliament approves". He was applauded. It was the first time Catalonia gave way.
Meanwhile the PP began a campaign of hate against Catalans: boycott of Catalan products, defamation, signatures against the Statute... Their main argument was that all the Spaniards should vote on the Statute. To defuse this campaign, the President of Spain (PSOE) and the leader of Catalan opposition (CiU) agreed in 2006 to weaken the text. It was approved, with many changes, in the Spanish Parliament. A former PSOE VP explained laughing and cheering that they had “filleted” the text and it was unrecognisable. Many Catalan people felt cheated, humiliated. But Catalonia gave way again, for the second time. A campaign of “this or nothing began” and the changes were approved in a new referendum with 74 %. At that moment the rallies for the Catalans “right to decide” began, with 125,000 people on February 18th, 2006 and 200,000 in December 1st of the following year. This same year left-wing parties won the elections again and formed a government led by a Spanish born President from PSOE with the support of the pro-independence party ERC. The intention was to consolidate a strong bridge with Madrid to save the Statute and avoid the failure of dialogue. But President Jose Montilla failed miserably.
PP was not satisfied. Their intention was to defeat the Socialist party and so they denounced the already cut Statute to the Constitutional Court. Shamefully, the Court decided in 2010 to cut the already much-reduced staute for the third time. With these changes Catalonia was to have even less power than before (!). The day after this decision, on July 10th, 1,100,000 people demonstrated in Barcelona under the slogan ‘We are a nation. We decide’. All the parties, including PSOE were there. Many people understood that to achieve self-rule was a utopia. Most unionists who believed in an agreement with Madrid saw it was impossible. Only humiliation. A new pro-independence movement began to arise. In April 2011 the Catalan National Assembly was founded. But before that, Catalan parties tried, for fourth time, to have a dialogue with the Spanish State.
The opposition alliance CiU finally won the Catalan elections in 2010 and Artur Mas was elected President. His program was unionist and in favour of an agreement with Spain. It was called the “Fiscal agreement” to share taxes. In 2012 the Parliament supported this proposal with a 84% of votes. But the Spanish Government was clear: no negotiation on fiscal questions was possible no matter how much support the idea had. Moreover: in 3 years the Spanish government blocked in courts 25 laws passed by the Catalan parliament.
When this 4th attempt failed most of CiU approved a new platform: a referendum about independence. With this one, CiU won the elections in 2012 and formed a government with ERC. This same year monster rallies began in Catalonia with tens of thousands of people: 1,100,000 in 2012, a human chain of 1,600,00 in 2013, a “V” in 2014 with 1,800,000... all of them peaceful. In 2014 a fifth attempt to dialogue with Spain was implemented: Catalan Parliament approved a call for a referendum of self-determination. A delegation was sent to the Spanish Parliament. Once again the answer was no. Under these circumstances the Catalan Government called a so-called “participation process” where 2,305,000 people voted. The Spanish answer was to charge the President of Catalonia and 2 Ministers. This led the coalition CiU to break in two and to call elections in 2015.
For first time in history the pro-independence parties obtained the victory with 47,8 %, growing from the 16,5 % of 2003. The unionist faction of CiU disappeared from the Parliament with less than 3 %. Under a new President, Carles Puigdemont, the majority tried again to agree a referendum with the Spanish Government. For the sixth time, it was impossible. Finally the Government called a Referendum on October 1st, 2017. Spanish military Police seized the ballot papers, leaflets, Catalan media and telecommunications, Printing houses and public servants. Madrid said that the referendum had been prevented. But on the day ballot boxes and papers appeared in the polling stations. Then the Spanish Police assaulted a hundred polling stations, beating voters. One of them lost an eye; and 1,066 were wounded. Police brutality was extreme. In spite of this 2,286,217 people voted with a turnout of 43,03 %: Yes won with 90,18 %. Spain’s response, 15 days after the referendum, was to jail the leaders of the two grassroots movements who had organised peaceful rallies since 2012.
As the Catalan Government had promised, the result of the referendum was implemented. But first the President of Catalonia “suspended” the declaration of independence in case Spain wanted to dialogue. The proposal of a referendum agreed by both sides was still alive. But the Spanish answer, this 7th time, was worse than ever before: to suspend the autonomy of Catalonia, sack the Government and jail them. Hours before this attack the Catalan Parliament declared independence and asked the Government to implement it. It was October 27th. The same day Catalan self-rule was suspended. A part of the Government left to Brussels to ask for a European solution while the rest was jailed only six days after the declaration.
So, when you hear or speak about the crisis in Catalonia, please remember that Catalans tried seven times to reach an agreement. Always giving ground. And they received in return: lies, humiliations, boycotts, beatings and jail. In this period of 14 years Catalans have voted in 4 referendums and 5 elections and always in the same direction: in favour of more autonomy and the right to decide. And always the Spanish answer has been refusal
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