massive protests in Barcelona

[Demovictory9]

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[Pachamama]

1. The situation in Barcelona is getting more tense....

I spoke to some friends in Spain and the tensions are rising and many were injured. More and even bigger protests expected for tomorrow and also response from Spanish Government.

Catalanians are not going to stop...

[mr_lebowski]

2. Man, that's not just 'thousands', that's a LOT of 'thousands' ...

Peeps in Spain don't f*** around when it comes to marching ... not sure what it's all about, but I almost always love to see me a huge march ...

Hope everyone stays safe ...

[Thyla]

3. Certainly going to get worse before it gets better

[DFW]

4. I really hope this doesn't go too far

I used to live in Barcelona, can speak and write Catalan. When I first got there, it was during the Franco era. The language and culture were completely suppressed in public life. Even the street signs were in Spanish, and only an hour of Catalan TV was allowed per week. Grafitti on the walls said "català à l'escola! (Catalan in schools!)" because schools were forbidden in Catalan.

They have all that now. They have their own autonomous government (la Generalitat), schools are again in Catalan, radio, TV and newspapers in Catalan are no longer prohibited, and even the street signs now have the original Catalan names. The issue of other Catalan-speaking provinces like Valencia and the Balearic Islands hasn't even been addressed. Just who would secede? "Core" Catalunya (LLeida, Girona, Barcelona and Tarragona)? Some or all of the others, too?

Yes, they still are Spain's version of the "giver state," and they resent it, but that isn't worth splitting off, having to go through rejoining NATO (if they want), applying to join the EU, rejoining the Euro (and using what in the interim?). What about their borders prior to being granted EU membership? Will that fabulous super-fast train between Madrid and Barcelona have to stop somewhere in the desert east of Zaragoza for customs and border checks? It's a romantic notion, but I hope the movement dies down and they don't do it. All my Catalan friends share the sentiment, and they are as proud to be Catalans as anyone. I haven't been down there for a month or so, but when I was there, all was calm. When I go back in a couple of weeks, I hope it will be so again. "Paquito (Franco)" has been gone for over 40 years. There is no need to pretend he is still running things.

[OnDoutside]

6. The Spanish government's belligerent attitude hasn't helped over

the years. That said, I too hope it will settle down. If the Catalans go, so too will the Basques. I can't help thinking that there's a helping hand coming from Russia in many of the European flashpoints.

[DFW]

7. Central governments rarely take separatist movements as seriously as they should.

Whether Catalunya today, Scotland recently, the CSA 150 years ago, or even the 13 colonies of King George III almost 250 years ago.

Russia obviously profits from a dis-united front in a prosperous west. Whether or not one believes the many accusations of Russian manipulation in Brexit, Brexit certainly will bring smiles in the Kremlin if it happens. Spain and the UK breaking up would do so as well. Putin was furious when former Soviet booty such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia not only freed themselves from the Russian colonial yoke, but joined the EU and NATO as well (on the other hand, I'll bet the Russians secretly laughed when Poland joined the EU and NATO).

[Thyla]

8. The whole thing is though...

They can't legally secede in the first place, it's why now there are political prisoners spending lengthy jail terms which sparked this whole turn of events this time round.
The PP when in power provoked this, it was almost their end game. No dialogue, just rule of old era law.

Now Sanchez is in he does take a softer line but is still sticking to the law, he has to for now given there is yet another election next month. If he doesn't hold the line the PP may end back in power over this single issue. It's a mess politically and will only come to a head with dialogue like grown adults.
For now I see the Spanish flags hanging off of balconies again, the people showing their solidarity with the state and wishing to see the rebel scum quashed once again.

"Paquito (Franco)" has been gone for over 40 years. There is no need to pretend he is still running things.

Yet his ghost lives on. Listen hard enough and you may just hear Cara al Sol wafting on the evenings breeze.

[DFW]

10. When I'm there in the evening

It's usually not often these days, as I usually fly down in the morning and fly home in the evening. I still have my day job, after all. But when I stay the night, I'm usually in the Barri Gòtic at my favorite tapes place, and all I hear is, "bona tarde, com va això?"

The Madrid government was sterner than it needed to be, but Puidgdemont was to Catalan independence what Nigel Farage was to Brexit in the UK, except without a legal leg to stand on. Both are grandstanders looking to be in the limelight with cheering throngs. At least "buffoon" and "boix" both start with a "B."

Secession isn't always legal. I think nonetheless that the UK would let Scotland go before Spain would let Catalunya go. Both would be detrimental to all parties concerned. The ethnic diversity of Switzerland, linguistically more diverse, seems not to be pushing any one group, majority (Germanic) or minority (3 Latin ethnicities) into any kind of separation movement. I was just down there two days ago, speaking Italian with one colleague from Ticino who now lives near Zürich and speaks flawless Züridüütsch, French with my Geneva colleague who drove up to meet us, and the local dialect with the locals. The Swiss seem to "get it." The EU is doing the political and financial version of mobbing to try to get Switzerland to join the EU. With the mess the EU always seems to create for itself, I don't blame the Swiss one bit for resisting the pressure.

[Celerity]

5. El Clasico was postponed due to the protests

Catalonia's Protests Are So Big They Canceled the Barcelona-Real Madrid 'El Clásico'

For days, thousands of Catalonians have been in the streets protesting the jailing of nine separatist leaders.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xwevz/catalonias-protests-are-so-big-they-canceled-the-barcelona-real-madrid-el-clasico

Protests in the Spanish region of Catalonia have grown so fierce that they’ve forced the postponement of next week’s “El Clásico” match between Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona.

Major tournaments aside, there is no bigger soccer match in Spain — and perhaps the world — than Barcelona v. Madrid. But protests against the jailing of nine separatist leaders who led a 2017 independence referendum have been raging for five consecutive days, and Spain’s soccer league made an almost unthinkable call.

Spain’s La Liga said "exceptional circumstances beyond our control” forced the postponement of the rivalry match scheduled for October 26. Barca said it had confidence its fans would “express themselves in exemplary fashion," but were forced by the Spanish Football Federation to postpone the match.

Reuters reported a group of hundreds of thousands of marchers were expected to reach Barcelona on Friday. The city has already seen fierce protests and now will be joined by a massive group of reinforcements, who’ve been on the move from all corners of Catalonia for days, chanting “freedom for political prisoners.”

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[a la izquierda]

9. Damn. I was just in Spain a few weeks ago.

This doesn't look good at all.

[DFW]

11. It doesn't have to end badly

So far, the separation movement is noisy, but does not represent the majority of Catalans. The ones who do not want to separate, of course, do not parade in the hundreds of thousands and set cars on fire, so they get no headlines. That doesn't mean they have no opinion on the matter.

[a la izquierda]

12. Let's hope not.

I’m now in England. Another giant mess entirely.