This is a pretty good time to bring up the subject of Catalanisme (that is to say, Catalan nationalism), as this Sunday there will be referenda on the question of independence in 167 different municipalities. As it would be illegal under the Spanish constitution for such consultations to be organised by a public body, they are being run by independent groups and individuals.
The first consultation on independence took place this year on the 13th September, in a small Catalan town called Arenys de Munt. The question put to voters was: “Do you agree with Catalonia becoming an independent, democratic and social State of law, integrated in the European Union?”. With a participation rate of 41% of those eligible to vote, the result was a resounding 96% in favour of independence. In the wake of this, referendums are now being planned all over Catalonia (Barcelona, and also the town where I am living, are apparently set to have one next year). Less happily, there were also some demonstrations by far-right Spanish nationalists groups with links back to the Falange movement, complete with symbols of the Franco dictatorship and fascist salutes.
Of course, it’s worth keeping in mind that this was a single vote in a small town (the total ballots cast only numbered 2,671), and the fact that it was a non-binding and unofficial referendum probably means that people who were pro-independence were more likely to take the time and effort to participate than people who were either apathetic or against independence. So this raises the question of how representative of Catalan opinion as a whole the result from Arenys de Munt was.
An opinion poll published in the Spanish-language Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia suggests that it is not particularly representative. According to the results, 35% of Catalans would vote “yes” in a referendum on independence, while 46% would vote “no” – although, interestingly, 53% of Catalans are in favour of these referenda taking place, as opposed to 39% against. Of the two largest political parties in Catalonia, neither is fully in favour of independence. Convergència i Unió, although a Catalan nationalist party, is deliberately vague on the matter so as to win the support of people who do not want full independence, and the PSC (Catalan Socialist Party, linked to the nationally governing PSOE of President Zapatero) is not in favour of independence. The ERC (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) are strongly in favour of independence, but are the third party in Catalan politics and are currently part of the governing coalition with the PSC and the ICV.
So why is Catalonia so divided? There are various factors, but amongst the most important are factors such as language, national identity and immigration. Without wishing to generalise too much (there are, for example, Catalan nationalists who do not speak any Catalan), people who live in rural areas and speak almost exclusively in Catalan are more likely to support independence, whereas people who live in Barcelona and the cities around it and only speak Spanish (many of whom come from families that moved to Catalonia from other parts of Spain in search of work) are less likely to be pro-independence. The Catalan language and a sense of Catalan national identity are strongly linked, and the poll from the La Vanguardia suggests that whereas 80% of those who only feel Catalan and 60% of those who feel more Catalan than Spanish would support independence, 56% of those who feel as Catalan as Spanish and 70% who feel more or exclusively Spanish would vote against. Part of the reason that many in Barcelona and nearby urban areas are not Catalan-speaking and don’t self-identity as Catalan in nationality is due to the aforementioned waves of immigration from outside of Catalonia, and the determined efforts of General Franco to wipe out the Catalan language and identity. As immigration is usually to big cities and it is far harder to impose authoritarian measures in the remote countryside, this has left rural areas of Catalonia more strongly pro-independence.
Thirty-four of the referendums this Sunday are taking place in the comarca of Osona, which includes Prats de Lluçanès (where my school is). I have talked to quite a few people about this, and almost everyone I have asked has said they are in favour of an independent Catalonia. Osona is a very rural area, and Catalan is easily the most dominant language, and I am fairly sure that the overall result on Sunday will be a “yes” to independence. The really fascinating referendum will be when one is held in Barcelona. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how these referendums affect the debate about Catalan independence and, indeed, whether they have an effect on the level of support for it.
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