On January 19, Spanish President Sanchez has called for a summit with French President Macron in Barcelona. Sanchez has stated that the summit can be held quietly in Barcelona “because he has managed to bring the Catalan independence process to an end.” The independence movement will prove him wrong.
When the European nation-states were formed in the 18th century, Catalonia had everything that constituted a nation (its own language, its own culture, differentiated worldview…), at the same level as nations like Germany, Italy or England. But we were defeated in wars and the Catalan state was not born. We were divided between Spain (the big part) and France (a small part). Thanks to a great will to be, we have maintained our national identity despite the will of annihilation by Spain (and also by France). Spain has been conceived with a Castilian matrix and has tried to eliminate the Catalan identity and language, that is why, for four centuries, the fit has not worked and has been provoking Catalan revolts against Madrid.
Since 2010, Catalan society became mostly convinced that there was no possible solution within Spain and decided to undertake a process of independence that still lasts (52% of the Catalan parliament is pro-independence), with a high point 2017 with a referendum of self-determination organized by the Catalan government that was won by 90%. Catalonia presupposed that Spain would react democratically seeing that the majority of Catalan society wanted a peaceful process of separation. It also trusted that the EU would prevent a violent reaction. But Spain sent 10,000 police to beat up voters who resisted non-violently and the EU said nothing.
Now, President Sanchez, boasts that he has pacified Catalonia (as if we were a pacified colony) because there is less pro-independence activity than in 2017. He has taken the 9 political prisoners out of jail (although he has continued persecuting and 400 Catalans await trial) and has convened a negotiating table with the independentism, twice in four years, which seems a mockery.
If there is less mobilization is because the movement had been mobilizing for 12 years, the pandemic forced a halt and the harsh judicial repression has made a part of the independence movement to slow down out of fear of an undemocratic and ruthless state. But as Sánchez has continued to ignore the majority desire of the Catalans (80%) to solve the conflict with a referendum and not with impositions, the desire for independence remains intact and the independentism remains determined to push for an independent Catalan state that can protect the Catalan national minority.
Written by Jordi Oriola Folch