Where Were you When…The Catalan Illegal Referendum Took Place?
Being independent or not? This question was posed on October 1st, 2017. A regular day everywhere else in the world but Spain. It was the day when an illegal referendum took place in Catalonia. The outcome: Surrounded by violence, hundreds of people ended up wounded, the Catalan political leaders in jail or in exile and, ultimately, it was one of the reasons why the President of Spain was dismissed with the vote of no confidence in the Government. What does the Spanish youth think about all that few years later? Our author María from Andalusia found out.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationThe desire for independence had been a controversial topic for a big part of the Catalan population for years. Even though it is against Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, the Catalan Government carried out an illegal referendum to ask their people if they wanted their region to be independent or not.
Our author María from Spain asked five students from all over the country about their opinion on this matter. Thanks to their Erasmus exchange in Paris, where they got to know each other, Nerea (20 years old, Galicia), Alberto (20 years old, Madrid), Ferran (20 years old, Catalonia), Librada (22 years old, Andalusia) and Carla (20 years old, Catalonia) have been exposed to a lot of different political views.
Where Were you During the Catalan Illegal Referendum in 2017?
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that this will result in data being shared with third-party providers.
Further informationThe whole day was bittersweet, a mix between hope and fear.Ferran, 20, from Catalonia
What do you Personally Think About the Referendum?
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that this will result in data being shared with third-party providers.
Further informationI felt like the Catalan people were denied a fundamental right.Carla, 20, from Catalonia
The referendum had to be done, but it had to be made well. Catalans’ feeling, or the feeling that the supporters of the independence movement have, is entirely respectable.Alberto, 20, from Madrid
Should Things Have Been Done Differently?
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that this will result in data being shared with third-party providers.
Further informationAside from believing it’s sad that they don’t feel Spanish, I understand that the Catalonians want to be independent and fight for it.Librada, 22, from Andalusia
Maybe if they hadn’t tried to dominate the situation in such a brutal way and attempted to establish a dialogue instead…Then, perhaps, in Spain they would’ve reacted differently.Nerea, 20, from Galicia
Were You in Favor of Catalonia Being Independent? What do You Think About it 5 Years Later?
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that this will result in data being shared with third-party providers.
Further informationThinking about the recent history, we’ve been fighting for the exact cause for over 300 years, so I still have some hope: maybe someday after all this time all our efforts will get somewhere.Ferran, 20, from Catalonia
Even with the way the situation escalated, everything has apparently calmed down nowadays. Most of the imprisoned politicians were spared. Nevertheless, five years after the illegal referendum, demands for Catalonia’s independence from Spain remain loud and clear. But Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has recently declared: The government won’t make a referendum possible.
If you had asked me 5 years ago, I would have stood entirely for the independence. 5 years later, I still defend the independence, but I don’t think it’s the primary thing to care about right now.Carla, 20, from Catalonia
Is There an Important Regionalist or Pro-independence Movement in Your Region?
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that this will result in data being shared with third-party providers.
Further informationYes, but in Galicia it’s complicated because it’s a feeling that’s only present among the youth, not among older people.Nerea, 20, from Galicia
Not in Madrid. However, that happens mainly because of centralism, which is heavily present in Spain. Everything is centralized for Madrid. That’s convenient for me, as a Madrilenian, but that’s also a problem.Alberto, 20, from Madrid
Should the Government Hold Referenda For Regions With a Significant Pro-independence Presence? Do you Think it Will Ever Happen?
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that this will result in data being shared with third-party providers.
Further informationHonestly, I don’t think so, given the circumstances. Plus, none of the two sides were trying to dialogue, so I’m a bit pessimistic about it.Carla, 20, from Catalonia
The awakening of new pro-independence feelings in other Spanish regions could happen if a referendum was held. But I don’t think the Spanish Government would ever let the referendum happen.Librada, 22, from Andalusia
I don’t know if I believe in that, but I would at least like to see it happening. I’d like it because I think Catalans should be heard.Alberto, 20, from Madrid
Although not all these five young people are in favour of the independence, they all agree on a few elementary things: freedom of speech is essential in a democracy, every counterpart should prioritize dialogue – and violence is never a solution.