I have always been interested and active in politics back home in America, however, I didn't expect to be so intrigued by the political situation that is brewing in Barcelona. During our first day bus tour, it was hard to ignore the millions of Barcelona residents taking to the street to rally for Catalonian independence from Spain, and the situation has only intensified since then.
Before I get into this, I'm gonna give you a brief history lesson...ready, set, go! During the period of 1939-1975, Catalonia was under the Franco dictatorship and Catalan was banned, as Spain was supposed to be a single uniform culture. This was the beginning of the oppression of Catalan culture, and forced Catalan people to speak Catalan in the privacy of their own homes to keep their language and culture alive. Today, the residents of Barcelona are mostly bilingual and are very prideful of their Catalonian culture, language and uniqueness. Many feel as if Spain has not treated them fairly or equally and they want to be an independent state from Spain, or at least start a dialogue with the Spanish government in order to get more rights. This has obviously created tension not only in Barcelona but all throughout Spain.
Those who want independence from Spain have been peacefully protesting in various ways since we arrived here in Barcelona. One frequent way the Catalans have protested is by banging pots and pans at around 10 pm here. There have been numerous rallies and strikes in transportation, schools and the workplace. Another demonstration I witnessed was farmers parking their tractors on the streets of Barcelona to state their protest. All of these forms of peaceful protest are the Catalans way of getting the Spanish Government's attention and reinforcing their want to be allowed to vote to be an independent state from Spain.
On October 1st, the residents of Barcelona participated in an illegal referendum vote for independence, which caused a lot of chaos. Madrid sent in over 7,000 police officers to attempt to stop the Catalan people from voting. Regardless of my opinion on the actual referendum vote, what I witnessed on Sunday was devastating. The Catalan people have continued to protest peacefully throughout this entire movement, and unfortunately the Spanish police did not respond peacefully.
The Spanish police, who followed orders from the Spanish government, forcefully entered voting stations and seized ballot boxes, and used any matters "necessary" to do so. They were seen shooting the protestors with rubber bullets, dragging them by their hair and hitting them with batons. Because of the violent response from the Spanish police, many Catalans who had previously decided not to vote, went and voted yes for independence.
Since the vote on Sunday, there have been strikes within the schools, transportation services and the workplace in Barcelona. Demonstrations have continue and Catalonia remains a unified front. Signs displaying "Catalan Republic" have been displayed and they are not giving up their fight. Many are deeply saddened by what has occurred, but it has only strengthened the cause. No one is sure what exactly will come from this situation, but my hope is that the violence soon ends and no lives are lost.
