THE CATALAN QUESTION AND OUR INTERVIEW WITH JOANA CABRATOSA PONS

We asked Joana, a Catalan girl we know,  to answer a few questions for our blog about what has happened in Catalonia in the latest weeks and she kindly accepted to answer.

First of all, Joana,  would you mind introducing yourself to our readers?

Joana and her mother on the day of the referendum

Not at all! Hello everyone, my name is Joana Cabratosa Pons, I'm 17 years old, I live in Besalú and right now I'm studying Maths. Last but not least, I’m a fervent supporter of the independence movement.

What has happened in your town?

My town has always been involved with the independence movement. For the last 6 or 7 years  we've been organising all types of events to support the independence and on 1st of October 2017 about 80% of the inhabitants of  my town voted YES in the referendum.  

  

How did you react when the police attacked the marchers? What about your family?

Luckily, in my town only the local police was in charge and they did not hurt anyone, so my family is okay. But we were so shocked of what was happening in many cities and towns all over Catalonia. People were scared and were crying. We were afraid the Spanish police would come to our town too. 

What have schools done about the revolution?

In the majority of the schools, the day before the referendum, we read a document during the break that didn't say anything about independence but explained the repressive methods and strategies the police had carried out the day before. Everyone was invited to avoid violence. The schools also joined the general strike  on the 3rd of October.

Do you have any Spanish friend (we mean, not Catalan) ? What do they think about the situation? 

Yes, I have some Spanish friends but they have different opinions: some claim that we have the right to decide about our own future, but there is also who thinks that we must remain part of Spain and that the referendum is illegal.

What is the attitude of the Church?

Nowadays the church doesn’t have much influence in Catalonia. They don't support either side but they have condemned the use of violence.

How are the people in Spain and Catalonia responding to the present crisis? 

Some Spanish people support  us, but many of them didn’t want us  either to be independent  or to vote. Not all of the Catalans support independence either, but the support has been growing these years. We want to vote to see if the majority of Catalans want independence or not.

What are the news and TV programs doing/telling? 

The Catalan TV programs are explaining what is happening here, but most Spanish TV programs don't tell all the truth, or they lie about what the Spanish police actually did here.

THE  CATALAN  QUESTION 

There are many reasons behind the Catalan Independent Movement:  differences in language and culture, the never forgotten civil war,  taxes and … even football!

The rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid has ancient roots, it goes back to the Bourbon occupation of the region in 1714. The hostility with Madrid broke out in a bloody civil war in 1936.

The Catalan language and all the regional badges were forbidden during Francisco Franco's dictatorship. A new statute, which ratified the Catalan Autonomy from Spain, entered into force four years after Francisco Franco’s death in 1979. Then it was renewed in 2006. The new document extended the autonomy to the fiscal and judiciary sectors. It involved the use of the Catalan language in public offices.

In the past the supporters of the Catalan independence had cultural and linguistic reasons only. However, many anti-governmental feelings have spread over the last few years and the economic matters have assumed great importance.

In fact, Catalonia is the engine of the Spanish Economy and a great amount of their income is  given to the nation. An intolerance to Madrid taxations has spread since 2008 due to an economic crisis and  the ambition to manage the fiscal resources independently has grown.

In addition, even  football has had a central role about the spreading of this demand for independence: Barcelona football champions and their  supporters clearly sided for secession. 

   Matteo B. & Matteo P.