By Bree Bailey | Contributor
On Oct. 1, the Catalan government held an illegal poll to determine whether or not they would declare independence from Spain.
For centuries, Catalonia has been a legal territory of Spain. In recent years, Catalans have felt the Spanish government has been restricting them and taking their money to give to poorer regions of the country.
Tensions continued to rise, and finally, on Oct. 1, 90 percent of the 2.25 million people who actively participated in this ballot voted that Catalonia become its own nation. However, this total amount of people only constituted for 43 percent of eligible voters. The Catalan government blames this lack of turnout on the fact that the Spanish government sent law enforcement to stop the vote from happening. Violence ensued, and hundreds were injured, as well as votes being lost.
Because they resisted the Spanish police, two Catalan leaders were arrested and later denied bail on Oct. 16. This frustrated the leader of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, even more. Puigdemont declared that if Madrid "persists in blocking dialogue and repression continues," the Catalan parliament would take the next steps in finalizing their declaration of independence. Even though Puigdemont already signed this declaration of independence, he suggested that action be postponed for two months in hopes the two governments could resolve conflict through dialogue. This issue is Spain's worst political crisis in 40 years.
"In a statement from Madrid, the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said it would invoke Article 155 of the constitution, a provision that allows the central government to suspend the autonomy of the Catalan regional administration," according to CNN.
Article 155 has never been used before, and the Spanish government states that this use of force can be avoided if the Catalan government holds a snap regional election and does not declare independence. A spokesman from Spain ensures that the desire is not to remove Catalan's right of self-governance, but simply contain that autonomy within the law.
There have been numerous disputes on how much power this region could possess apart from the Spanish government, since the 1700s. This area surrounds Barcelona and is known as the wealthier part of Spain.
From an outsider's perspective, Catalonia seems to be their own nation already. They have their own flag, parliament and leader, yet they are still lacking many key components of an independent country. Among these are border control, a central bank and official international relations.
On a personal level, Catalan locals express differing opinions on why they support the independence movement or not.
As it turns out, we have our own Catalan student at Taylor. Sophomore Emmanuel Boateng, admits that there are pros and cons to both sides.
"I think if I had the choice I would leave (Spain) . . . (T)here is a lot of uncertainty. I don't know what the 'leaving' would be like," Boateng said.
He stated that one pro of leaving is the financial aspect and Catalans desire more freedom when it comes to their money. However, he is worried that if Catalonia leaves, there will be a huge separation even among families. Boateng asks Taylor students to pray for peace and understanding for both Spain and Catalonia.
