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This October 1, The Catalan pro independence movement has summoned tens of thousands of people to Barcelona for the anniversary of the 2017 referendum on self-determination. And three weeks ago, on Catalonia Day, the movement also summoned hundreds of thousands of people in the same
city.
The 2017 referendum came after a sustained popular demand since 2010, which Madrid had systematically refused. So when the Catalan government decided to hold the referendum unilaterally, the state sent 10,000 police to prevent it. However, the referendum was held and 2,286,217 people voted, 43% of the census, with 90% in favor of independence.
Afterwards, the Catalan government tried to negotiate with the Spanish government, but they refused and activated the judicial system that imprisoned 9 people. They were almost four years in jail until the pressures of the Council of Europe forced the pardon of these political prisoners. But we have been judicially persecuted for 4,200 people, 720 of whom are still awaiting trial.
Right now the Spanish government is trying to ignore the conflict and, in Europe, they are also looking the other way. But ignoring the most powerful social movement in Europe is irresponsible because such a movement, which knows it has the right to defend itself against ultranationalist Spain, will not renounce independence by Spanish imposition.
The most militant part of the independence movement knows that it must force a solution because, the current unacceptable situation, with a social-democratic nationalist Spanish government (PSOE and Podemos), will worsen when the ultra-nationalism of the right (PP) plus the extreme right (VOX) wins. Faced with the lack of a democratic path, independentism is realizing that it will have to organize a peaceful insurrectional process of more than 2 million people to overwhelm the Spanish State, which will foreseeably react with a lot of violence.
Before this happens, it would be desirable that Europe forces Spain to accept a referendum of self-determination to solve the conflict democratically.
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Only the US decides what’s democratic