7-mile human chain forces Spain to talk about Catalan independence

BARCELONA — Hundreds of thousands of Catalans formed a massive human “V” across Barcelona on Thursday as part of a campaign to persuade the Spanish government to allow their region to stage a referendum on independence.

The demonstration coincided with the region’s annual Diada, or national day, which commemorates the defeat of the northeastern territory at the hands of Spanish forces in the siege of Barcelona on Sept. 11, 1714.

“If you look at history, you’ll see that we used to be free, but then the Spaniards came. We want the freedom we had before,” said pensioner Joaquin Valle Bigas. He was resting in the shade by Barcelona’s Gracies square, surrounded by campaigners waving Catalan flags. The spot was near the corner of the seven-mile-long V, which represented the words “victory” and “vote.”

Valle Bigas and his wife were wearing yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the Catalan phrase “Ara es l’hora,” or “now’s the time,” the slogan of the independence campaign. It refers to the vote on independence Catalonia has scheduled for Nov. 9 but which the Spanish government opposes on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

While the 300th anniversary of the Diada gave this year’s event extra historical significance, it also had an overtly political dimension from falling so close to the vote.

“I’m 90 years old and if I live any longer, it’ll be for Catalonia,” said Valle Bigas, who was briefly imprisoned by the authoritarian, centralist regime of Francisco Franco in the 1950s for brandishing the region’s flag in the street.

After Franco’s death in 1975, Spain became a democracy and handed regions such as Catalonia substantial autonomous powers, including its own health system, police force and parliament.

But in recent years, pro-independence sentiment has been mounting, with Catalan nationalists complaining that their wealthy region pays more in taxes to the Spanish state than it receives back in investment. They are also angry at what they see as political meddling in the region by the central government in Madrid, and attempts to stifle aspects of cultural identity, such as the Catalan language.

“We want to make the Spanish government realize how unhappy we are in a peaceful way — we are constantly being attacked, economically, culturally and socially by Spain,” said Jaume Mestre, an industrial engineer who took part in the day’s pro-independence activities. Those included speeches, cultural performances and an open-air concert performed by 300 cellists (to mark 300 years.)

Local police estimated that 1.8 million people filled the streets throughout the day.

Catalan regional premier Artur Mas, who is leading the independence drive, was present at many of the events, having taken the unusual step on Wednesday of leaving flowers at a site revered by radical separatists as the tomb of a group of Catalan patriots.

“We’re a nation and we want to decide on our future, and we want to do so with the understanding of the people of Spain and Europe,” said Mas, of the Convergence and Union (CiU) nationalist coalition, on Thursday. He insisted that he expects the non-binding referendum to go ahead as planned, despite the central government’s opposition.

The pro-independence campaign also reached beyond Spain’s borders. Massive banners were unfurled with images of world leaders and messages for them. “Mr. President, Catalans will vote on November 9,” read the text beneath a banner of Barack Obama.

Earlier this month, Catalan nationalists in the town of Vic displayed a similar banner with the image of British Prime Minister David Cameron, praising him for allowing the Scottish people to vote on independence, in contrast to the stance of the Spanish government.

The two-question referendum Mas and his political allies have prepared asks: “Do you want Catalonia to be a state?” If the answer is yes, it continues: “Do you want that state to be independent?” An April poll showed that 47 percent of Catalans would vote “yes” to both questions.

However, in recent weeks speculation has increased that Mas will postpone the referendum if it lacks a legal framework, which looks likely as things stand. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has promised to ask the Constitutional Court to block the vote once it is officially called by Mas, probably later this month.

Other political parties and groups have urged Mas to push ahead regardless and stage the vote. Oriol Junqueras, leader of the powerful Catalan Republican Left (ERC), has said that on Nov. 9 Catalans should follow the example of Martin Luther King and pursue a policy of “civil disobedience.”

Meanwhile, unionist groups have been warning of the consequences of independence. Josep Ramon Bosch, a Catalan who heads Catalan Civil Society, an organization that opposes secession, said his region would suffer economically, culturally and socially if it broke away from Spain.

“The last 23 years of nationalist government in Catalonia have been propaganda — only one side has given its opinion, while the other hasn’t,” he said. “It’s propaganda based on historical lies. And now we’re seeing the culmination of all this with the 300th anniversary of the Diada.”

Bosch and others staged a low-key ceremony in the Catalan city of Tarragona on Thursday, carrying the Catalan flag, known as the “senyera,” through the streets. The demonstration’s slogan: “Let’s recover our common sense, let’s take back the senyera.”