A brief dive into some of the most important protests taking place in the world (PART 04): Spain.

In recent months, what has caused a high temperature in the protests (which are increasingly being strategically organized by protesters) in Spain is the fight for Catalonia's independence to have its full freedom. The battle is quite big (with many roots included), complicated... And seems to be very dangerous.

The fight has its supporters and opponents (a trend that is becoming very solid as the population is seeking to have more voice and speak louder), but there are two very specific facts that corroborate to make the protests valid and relatively acceptable:

• The region has its own language.
• There is a distinct flag.

Considering the facts mentioned above, supporters of Catalonia's independence complain (and are well founded) because they end up having to share virtually all the riches of the region with other parts of Spain (who just wait for the profits to come and go). benefit from them without having made or made any contribution).

The most current protests taking place on the streets of Catalonia gained extra weight (which made the situation a little more violent by the fighting on both sides: civilians vs. government police force) after the Supreme Court condemned 13 separatist leaders with with a prison that could be externder for 13 years. The Catalonia independence group's response was immediate, and soon new protests and demonstrations took to the streets.

PBS

The decision is related to the plebiscite on Catalan independence (held in 2017) and took place without the consent of Madrid. This was considered a serious failure to make this strategy viable because the government considered the referendum in Catalonia as an unconstitutional, undemocratic act and provocation). In addition, other important points, such as sedition and misappropriation of funds substantiated the decision of the Superma Court.

Speaking more specifically suffers the plebiscite ...

I think it is valid to point out that only 43% of registered voters attended. However, 92% of these people agree with the separation of Spain. Ironically, polls indicate that the independence movement is much less popular with the Catalan population itself because the majority now appears to be against independence, and many have boycotted the 2017 referendum.

By contrast, there are many Spanish supporters who want to get rid of Catalonia and they have their own motivations for that. So the decision to be for or against this long-awaited independence is still shrouded by a dense and extensive fog that will not easily dissipate. Everything is very confusing, and the polarization of the sides is making the situation even more complicated.

The New York Times

This verdict was a gesture badly welcomed by the protesters and the strength of the separatist protests has increased further and is getting attention and attracting the participation of new members fighting for the same cause (but now, they have more fuel to burn because the Supreme Court act was seen as "a political act for the benefit of those in power").

According to Carles Puigdemont (who is one of the Catalan leaders who is in exile):

"The European Union allows the police of one of its member states to use violence against their citizens".

Puigdemont's statement reinforces and gives more sustainability for the people to fight for the separation of Catalonia from Spain, because once independent, theoretically they would not have to face this kind of problem regarding manipulated violence. Of course, things are not that simple, but those in favor of a free Catalonia use this kind of statement to support their position and strengthen the foundation of the protests.

So far, despite the protests and demonstrations, they have caused a great deal of noise (as well as a great deal of financial damage to private and public buildings, as well as physical violence and disruption on the country's daily agenda, which has experienced chaos on the streets). Nothing has changed but the desire for independence of the Catalan people is growing ever stronger and their willpower to achieve this is far greater than we can imagine (even though the methods used are not as orthodox).

Daily World

The impasse continues and there is no clear definition of what will happen in the future... But one thing is certain (and it really will not change... or at least so far has not given the slightest hint that it will): People who struggle to liberate Catalonia are unwilling to put their arms down and accept the situation passively simply by agreeing with the rulers' decisions, because these people are aware of their voice and their sound is loud enough to be heard in the whole world.