World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

For last few years, many people in the Catalan region of Spain have been agitating for independence from the Spanish state. These movements are not really new–for centuries, Catalonians have considered themselves to be a separate nation from the Spanish nation. These attitudes have sharpened in recent years as Catalan has been quite prosperous and Catalonians think that their wealth is being siphoned off to finance the Spanish state. In 2017 there were pressures for a referendum so that Catalonians could secede from Spain, a move that is not permitted under the Spanish constitution (similar to the US Constitution’s prohibition against secession and quite different from the British system which allows secession). The Spanish Supreme Court has jailed several of the supporters of that referendum and many Catalonians believe the sentences to be excessive and unfair. In response, there have been large protests in Catalan cities, such as Barcelona. The sentiment in Catalonia is mixed on the issue of independence: ” Independence is a highly divisive issue, with a poll in July showing backing for secession in the region at its lowest level in two years, with 48.3% of people against and 44% in favour.”