Catalonians’ defiance in holding a referendum for independence from Spain brought a hail of baton-charges and rubber bullets, injuring at least 844 people and 33 policemen from the forces sent by Madrid. Sunday’s vote was chaotic, even farcical, but the way it was handled was a litmus test of its democracy, which Spain flunked. It may have been understandable if such brutality had occurred elsewhere in Europe, not so accustomed to upholding the highest democratic ideals. The referendum may have been illegal under the Spanish constitution, but the way Madrid tried to shut down the vote led Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont to declare that with such state-sponsored violence on a day of hope, citizens had earned the right to have an independent Catalonian republic.
Separatist movements aren’t rare anywhere, and Catalonians have supported one peacefully over time in a region that contributes almost a fifth of Spain’s GDP. An independent Catalonia may not be on the horizon soon, but the push for independence represents a challenge to the established order as Western democracies have known, though free Spain is a young country, with just over 40 years having passed since the death of military dictator Generalísimo Francisco Franco. The experience of a form of democracy in a vote for independence is certain to leave both sides polarised as never before, with the economic powerhouse of Catalonia left with a deep sense of hurt. Acts to preserve federalism aren’t usually easy, and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government seems particularly harsh in a continent proud of the freedoms it enjoyed since the Magna Carta.
