By Snigdha Kalra
Going against the orders of the Spanish constitutional court, the Catalonian government on Sunday went ahead with its referendum on separating from Spain. The voting saw a turnover of 42%, or 2.26 million people out of 5.3 million eligible voters, out of which, according to preliminary results, a huge majority of 90% voted in favour of the independence of Catalonia. However, opposition to the referendum from Spanish officials also resulted in violence during the voting. Catalonia, a region in Spain, has a high degree of autonomy but is not recognised as a separate nation.
The violence that ensued
While the Catalonian population had gathered on Sunday to carry out a democratic process peacefully, they were brutally crushed by the violence that ensued. The riot police were sent out in large numbers, along with the Guardia Civil, to prevent the voting process from taking place, and in the clashes that followed, 893 people ended up getting injured, including 33 police. The brutal violence involved police beating up voters, pushing them to the ground, stamping on them and pulling women out of voting stations by the hair. More than 750,000 votes could not be counted because polling stations were closed and urns were confiscated.
However, this barbarous behaviour worked the in the opposite direction than anticipated, for it only strengthened the resolve of the Catalonian public to strive towards independence. The Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, said that the Spanish government had written another shameful page in its history with Catalonia and that Catalonia had earned its right to sovereignty. He also said, With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form of a republic. At the same time, Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalan leaders were responsible for the disorder because they went ahead with the referendum, which had been declared illegal.
The aspect of legality
According to the Spanish constitution, the referendum is illegal. The constitutional court of Spain had suspended it on 7 September 2017. The government of Spain says that the constitution does not allow any region of Spain to vote on its independence. Moreover, Rajoy said that the Catalans had been forced into taking part in an illegal vote.
What happens next?
The violence that ensued on Sunday has made it most likely that Catalonia will make a declaration of independence. It has strengthened feelings of injustice against Spain and nationalist feelings among the Catalans. The government of Spain is holding discussions with political leaders to appropriate a response. If indeed a declaration of independence is made, the Spanish Prime Minister may, as a last resort, use Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution and take autonomous control of the Catalonian region, if it fails to cooperate. However, it seems highly unlikely, after the reaction of the Catalonian public and the feelings of indignation against Spanish administration after todays violence. In fact, this decision may lead to even more chaos and violence.
The European Union has refused to intervene in the matter, as it is an internal matter of Spain. Negotiations between Catalonia and Spain are out of order. The next few days are going to prove difficult for both, whereby either Spain will lose an important economic territory, or huge violence will ensue leading to unrest, or both. As of now, the wave of independence in Catalonia cannot be tamed.
Featured Image Source: Derek Giovanni Photography via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-ND