2017 Catalan independence referendum
An independence referendum was held on 1 October 2017 in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, passed by the Parliament of Catalonia as the Law on the Referendum on Self-determination of Catalonia and called by the Generalitat de Catalunya.[2][3][4] The referendum, known in the Spanish media by the numeronym 1-O (for "1 October"), was declared unconstitutional[5][6][7] on 7 September 2017 and suspended by the Constitutional Court of Spain after a request from the Spanish government, who declared it a breach of the Spanish Constitution.[8][9][10] Additionally, in early September the High Court of Justice of Catalonia had issued orders to the police to try to prevent the unconstitutional referendum, including the detention of various persons responsible for its preparation.[11][12][13] Due to alleged irregularities during the voting process, as well as the use of force by the National Police Corps and Civil Guard, international observers invited by the Generalitat declared that the referendum failed to meet the minimum international standards for elections.[14][15][16]
The referendum was approved by the Catalan parliament in a session on 6 September 2017, boycotted by 52 anti-independence parliamentarians,[17] along with the Law of juridical transition and foundation of the Republic of Catalonia the following day 7 September, which stated that independence would be binding with a simple majority, without requiring a minimum turnout.[17][18] After being suspended, the law was finally declared void on 17 October,[19] being also unconstitutional according to the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia which requires a two-thirds majority, 90 seats, in the Catalan parliament for any change to Catalonia's status.[20][21][22]
The referendum question, which voters answered with "Yes" or "No", was "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?". While the "Yes" side won, with 2,044,038 (90.18%) voting for independence and 177,547 (7.83%) voting against, the turnout was only 43.03%. The Catalan government estimated that up to 770,000 votes were not cast due to polling stations being closed off during the police crackdown,[1][23][24][25] although the "universal census" system introduced earlier in the day allowed electors to vote at any given polling station.[26][27] Catalan government officials have argued that the turnout would have been higher were it not for Spanish police suppression of the vote.[28][29][30] On the other hand, most voters who did not support Catalan independence did not turn out,[31] as the constitutional political parties asked citizens not to participate in the illegal referendum to avoid "validation".[32][33] Additionally, numerous cases of voters casting their votes several times or with lack of identification were reported, and the counting process and the revision of the census were not performed with quality standards ensuring impartiality.[34][35]
The days leading to the referendum witnessed hasty judicial fights, and the High Court of Justice of Catalonia eventually ordered police forces to impede the use of public premises for the imminent voting.[36] With conflicting directives, the referendum mostly saw inaction of part of the autonomous police force of Catalonia, the Mossos d'Esquadra, who allowed many polling stations to open while the National Police Corps and the Guardia Civil intervened and raided several opened polling stations to prevent voting.[37][38] Early figures of 893 civilians and 111 agents of the National Police and the Guardia Civil injured[38][39][40][41] may have been exaggerated.[42] According to Barcelona's judge investigating those police violence, 218 persons were injured in Barcelona alone.[43][44] According to the official final report by the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut) of the Generalitat, 1066 civilians, 11 agents of the National Police and the Guardia Civil, and 1 agent of the regional police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, were injured.[45] The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, urged the Spanish government to investigate all acts of violence that took place to prevent the referendum.[46][47] The police action also received criticism from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch which defined it as an "excessive and unnecessary use of force".[48][49] Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena stated Carles Puigdemont ignored the repeated warnings he received about the escalation of violence if the referendum was held.[50][51]
Mossos d'Esquadra were investigated for disobedience, for allegedly not having complied with the orders of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia.[52] Members of Mossos d'Esquadra under investigation included Josep Lluís Trapero Álvarez, the Mossos d'Esquadra major, who was investigated for sedition by the Spanish National Court.[53] Mossos d'Esquadra denied those accusations and say they obeyed orders but applied the principle of proportionality, which is required by Spanish law in all police operations.[54]
: The regional parliament of nationalist majority showed its support for the referendum and criticised the Spanish government's stance on the issue.[132] Tens of thousands took to the streets of Bilbao at two different dates in September in support of the referendum, with representatives of the nationalist parties, including the mayors of San Sebastián and Bilbao.[133][134] ETA, classified as a terrorist group by the European Union, issued a statement endorsing the referendum.[135]
Basque Autonomous Community
: The parliament of Navarre, with the opposition of the constitution-endorsing parties, denounced the Spanish government's de facto "takeover" of the Catalan devolution and what the parliament referred to as a repressive approach.[136]
Navarre
: The organisation in a public venue of a pro-referendum event led to some strifes due among other things to its depiction of the King in advertising posters. The event eventually relocated to private grounds following Spanish Conservatives' complains and the intervention of a judge.[138][139][140]
Madrid
Press coverage and Internet[edit]
Different sources describe aspects of the events differently according to their political stance. Notable examples include the coverage of Spanish TV channel TVE (Televisión Española) and Catalan channel TV3. TV3 covered the referendum and the police violence regularly while TVE mainly emphasised the Spanish government's position on its legality.[290] TVE media coverage was criticised by Televisión Española information council, calling for the resignation of the entire direction.[291] TV3 has been criticized both within and outside Catalonia as a mouthpiece for the independence movement.[292]
Various media reported on fake images of police violence against civilians that were posted in social networks.[293] They included images of people injured in other events, including footage from strikes and anti-austerity protests 4–5 years prior, Turkish police charges and protests by miners.[236][237][238] The news sites Okdiario and Periodista Digital were also accused of falsely trying to discredit some of those involved in police violence episodes.[294][295]
Some non-Spanish media outlets have criticized the Mariano Rajoy's government, police violence against civilians or Spain's media coverage, including The Guardian,[296] The Independent,[297] Al-Jazeera,[298] The Daily Telegraph,[299] and The New York Times.[300]
The Spanish newspaper El País argued that "the network of fake-news producers that Russia has employed to weaken the United States and the European Union is now operating at full speed on Catalonia",[301] involving a network of Russian media outlets and social network bots which, according to the argument, aimed to influence local and global discussion of events. Later investigations by Medium-DFRL said it found support for some but not all of the arguments made by Spanish outlets.[302] It is argued that the goal wasn't specifically to support Catalan independence but to "foment divisions to gradually undermine Europe's democracy and institutions"[303] and at discrediting Spanish legal and political authorities,[304] while Russian authorities have denied that Russian actors had any involvement.[304]
In 2020–2021[edit]
In February 2020, the Catalan nationalist-led government and the Spanish left-wing coalition government agreed to start a dialogue on Catalonia's political future. Included in Catalan nationalists' two points was a retroactive legalization of the 2017 independence referendum.[315] The central government's plan aims rather at a negotiation on the region's financial and political autonomy within the current legal framework.[316] Fifteen representatives began talks with a discussion of the history of the Catalan crisis. Despite disagreement on when it began, the two sides concurred that their common political opponent, the People's Party, bore the overall responsibility in its fight against the Statute of Autonomy.[317] It was agreed that negotiations would continue, with plans for monthly meetings and plenary sessions every six months, although this has been followed by a continued internal conflict within the nationalist parties, a fraction of which wishes no dialogue beyond a new legally binding referendum.[318] The COVID-19 pandemic in Spain cancelled these plans, which may resume in September 2021.[319]