Catalans join hands in huge human chain for independence from Spain

Hundreds of thousands of Catalonians joined hands to form a human chain 250 miles (400km) long, running from the border with neighbouring France to the region of Valencia in a call for Madrid to recognise Catalan independence.
Wednesday, was la Diada, or Catalan National Day, when the region commemorates the defeat of its troops in the Spanish war of succession in 1714. And at 5.14pm the human chain – or Via Catalana – linked arms.
"I'm joining the Via Catalana because I think we should be consulted on our future. I think the rise of the independence movement comes from the people while the politicians prefer stagnation to change," said Maria Solé Bundó, who works on the family farm in Baix Penedès.
Núria Ruiz Soto, a hospital worker from Tarragona, said: "I've joined the Via because I think it's a good way of drawing attention to our desire to be an independent state and if they're not willing to listen to us, at least they can see us."
Independence has been a long-running battle between Catalonia and Madrid, but as the recession continues to hit the country harder, demands for a referendum on secession have grown, and the National Assembly of Catalonia called on its supporters to take to the streets to show their strength. Polls suggest as many as 50% of Catalans want independence, and up to 81% support the right to hold a referendum.
The view from Madrid, where prime minister Mariano Rajoy is that any independence referendum would be illegal.
Catalan president Artur Mas has said he would use elections scheduled for 2016 as an effective referendum on independence The National Assembly of Catalonia argues they should not have to wait that long, calling for a referendum in 2014.

Pretty interesting. While the two main parties pushing this in the region are at least left leaning, I'm not sure that an independent Catalonia would be different from many of the other neo-liberal countries in Western Europe (that's not to say I would oppose such independence on those grounds of course).


Then again I'm not too familiar with the political composition of this issue. Thoughts?

The Basque countries have a far better case for independence. They are totally different from any other Iberian culture.

It's true that there's a lot of anti-catalan sentiment in parts of Spain (Nationalists trying to ban Catalan being taught in schools or on public transport in Catalonia and Valencia, "Uno Espanya" kind of stuff).

That said, the current Catalonian independence movement, or at least the media and funding of the movement, is virulently right-wing, even though the rhetoric of some protesters may not be. Most of Eastern Spain's bourgeoisie are losing faith in Spain's stagnating economy, and want Barcelona et al., which is by and large the most industrially and economically developed region of Spain, to break away and become a lovely little tax haven. It reminds me a lot of people in Western Australia who want the state to become independent because it "produces most of the countries' wealth", except for the fact that it has a linguistic component (language often being an overlooked contributor to nationalist or separatist sentiments). While it may have some left-leaning protesters, the (rich folk's) intent and implications of independence are not.

Just my vague two cents. I haven't read up on Catalonia in about a year so this stuff might be a bit dated.

The real question, I think, is whether independence is supported by a majority of the Catalonian proletariat and the plebean masses in Catalonia. If it isn't, socialists should ignore or oppose the independence movement without giving the illusion than a united Spain is a matter of principle for socialists. If yes, then socialists should support independence even if it is in the temporary interest of the Catalan bourgeoisie, since otherwise broad sections of the Catalan proletariat will remain under the illusion that their interests are aligned with the interests of "their" bourgeoisie and that the Castillan working class is their enemy.

It is, but they support the wrong party, that is the CiU.

The Catalan "hatred" is directed more at the centralised bourgeois state in Madrid, with a constitution still loosely based on Franco's, rather than other Castillans, which is a major positive compared to other seperatist movements which base their support on hatred of the Other ( N-VA in Flanders, Lega Nord and perhaps even to a certain extent the SNP, who are still spreading the myth that Londoners look down on Scotsmen).

As for the Basque nationalist argument, I'm a supporter of it because the Basque people have such a different language, culture, etc that their local sovereignty must be strong to ensure it isn't absorbed into some kind of Spanish superstate.

The reason the Basque independence has always been more violent in Spain is because Catalan identity, even under Franco, was never under threat because Franco ignorantly thought that if he sent some Castillan bureaucrats and purged the Republican remnant Catalonia would be under control,. Castillan Spain has always cracked down on Basque seperatism though, because Franco was well aware of their total opposition to Castillan dominance and cultural doctrine. I still thin Basque Country should be part of some Iberian Federation.

Castillans and Catalans have far more in common that Basques and Castillans. Interestingly, in my visits to Northern Iberia, I find tensions between Basques and Catalan nationalists to be very prominent, whereas they don't seem to care if anybody Spanish speaks Castellano for example. Just my perspective, although perhaps a Spaniard could elaborate a little more on the cultural divides.

Right now, if there were to be elections in Catalonia, ERC will win.

"Espanya ens roba" (Spain robes us) one of the main slogans of the burgeoise part of the independentist movement in Catalonia is partly true. Taxes and revenues from Catalonia are spend in developing and subsidize less underdeveloped parts of Spain, Extremadura for example. I bet if the get the same fiscal system as Basques and Navarrese they won't be protesting.

And what about, Galaecians, Asturians, Leoneses, etc. lenguage isn't the only characteristic that makes a nationality.

That isn't true, lots of the catalonian big industrial burgeoise financed Franco's cuop. Hell, the airplane that brought him from the Canary Islands to Andalusia was property of a Catalonian industrialist. In the basque case, their national burgeoise (PNV) were with the republic (they bretrayed it latter) and many of it's politicians were to go into exile. Apart of the "racist" view of the righties in Spain againt the Basques.