Catalans to form 400 kilometer human chain for independence

[Bengal_Tiger]

Here are pictures of the 400 kilometre chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.





400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.




400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.




400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.




400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.



400 kilometre human chain.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Catalonia to forge ahead with referendum on independence

By Tobias Buck in Barcelona

Catalonia’s president has vowed to press ahead with a fiercely contentious referendum on independence from Spain, warning that he now saw little chance of a negotiated settlement with Madrid that could tackle the region’s economic and political grievances.

Artur Mas said he was “100 per cent” committed to calling a regional vote on Catalonia’s future status in November – just two months after Scotland’s independence referendum. “We will not halt this process. If we halt this process and there is no alternative the frustration here will be absolute,” he told a group of foreign journalists in Barcelona.


Creditors to begin Greek debt talks
“We will never give up on the option of reaching an agreement with Madrid. But at the moment such an agreement is very unlikely. They are saying no to almost everything [we have asked for],” Mr Mas said.
His comments followed a series of equally uncompromising statements from the central government in Madrid, suggesting that a head-on constitutional clash later this year is increasingly likely. The Spanish government argues the Catalan independence drive violates the country’s constitution, which upholds the “indissoluble” nature of the state.
Mariano Rajoy, prime minister, fired a fresh broadside against the Catalan government this week, calling on Mr Mas to abandon his referendum plan and warning that an independent Catalonia would be left internationally isolated and outside the EU. Mr Rajoy added that it was “difficult” to hold a political dialogue when one side was intent on “unilaterally calling a referendum” that was “illegal”.
Business leaders and opposition politicians have urged both sides to calm the rhetoric and engage in talks, amid rising concern in Spain and beyond that the current political tensions will deal a blow to the country’s nascent economic recovery. The region is an economic powerhouse, accounting for almost a fifth of Spanish output. Catalonia is also an important contributor to a nationwide financial system that sees richer regions subsidise poorer areas.
Mr Mas said he was personally in favour of independence but that his prime goal was to ensure that Catalans had the right to decide their own future. “I see myself more as the president of the referendum than the president of independence,” he said. “There is no greater frustration in a democracy than wanting to vote but not being able to vote.”

There is no greater frustration in a democracy than wanting to vote but not being able to vote
- Artur Mas, president of Catalonia

Catalan leaders insist a non-binding referendum on independence is compatible with the Spanish constitution and point out that 80 per cent of Catalans are in favour of holding a referendum. But Spain’s parliament voted overwhelmingly this month to reject a formal Catalan request to hold a plebiscite. Mr Mas said his government was now preparing a regional law that would provide an alternative legal basis for the November poll, but acknowledged that Madrid could challenge that law in front of the country’s constitutional court.
Most analysts believe the court will ultimately strike down any attempt to hold an independence referendum in Catalonia. They point to a recent ruling by Spain’s highest tribunal that rejected any regional right to “self-determination”.
Mr Mas declined to spell out what his government would do in that scenario, but noted he would hold a referendum only within “the framework of the law” – suggesting he sees no merit in holding an independence vote viewed as illegal under the constitution. The Catalan president added, however, that he could call an early regional election “as a last resort”, allowing Catalans to express their desire for independence by electing a new regional parliament.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1edb4b82-caec-11e3-9c6a-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2zkUxFeLX

[Bengal_Tiger]

Catalans cast votes in unofficial independence referendum

Election will decide 135-seat regional government, but has been called forward as leaders were denied official in-out vote


Ashifa Kassam in Barcelona
Sunday 27 September 2015 06.00 BST Last modified on Sunday 27 September 2015 10.05 BST


Catalans go to the polls on Sunday morning in a crucial regional election, billed as a de facto referendum on independence, that could launch Spain and the EU into uncharted territory.

Formally the purpose of the vote is to decide the membership of Catalonia’s 135-seat regional government. But after the central government in Madrid shut down attempts by Catalan leaders to hold a referendum on independence, nationalists called early elections that could act as a quasi-referendum on whether the wealthy north-eastern region should seek to break away from Spain.



Pro-independence coalition Junts pel Sí, made up of nationalists from the left and right as well as grassroots activists, have pledged to begin the process of Catalan independence. Far-left Popular Unity, or CUP as the party is known in Spanish, is also committed to unilaterally breaking away from Spain.

Leftist coalition Catalunya Sí que es Pot, backed by parties including ICV and Podemos, have said they favour a referendum on independence.

The regional affiliate of the Socialists have championed a constitutional federal reform which they say will grant Catalonia more powers, while centre-right Ciutadans, the regional arm of Ciudadanos, wants to change the financing system for Spanish regions and more clearly distribute competencies between central and regional governments.

The conservative People’s party, which governs Spain, campaigned in Catalonia on the idea of a unified Spain. On Friday, PP leadership released a video in which the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, made a rare declaration in Catalan, arguing: “United we will win.”

Some 5.5 million people in the region are eligible to vote. Polls close at 8pm (7pm BST) and the Guardian will be covering the results as they come in on our live blog.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/27/catalans-cast-votes-in-unofficial-independence-referendum

[Khostai]

I don't really understand why they want independance when nobody is upressing their language or culture...

[Bengal_Tiger]

Catalonia vote: Pro-independence parties win elections



People react to the results of exit polls on September 27, 2015


Pro-independence parties said they considered the vote a de facto referendum on independence

Pro-independence parties in Spain's Catalonia region have won an absolute majority in regional elections, near complete results show.
With more than 90% of the votes counted, the main separatist alliance and a smaller party won 72 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament.
They said earlier a majority would allow them to declare independence from Spain unilaterally within 18 months.

The central government in Madrid has pledged to block such moves in court.
Supporter of secessionist group Junts Pel Si (Together for Yes) react after polls closed in a regional parliamentary election in Barcelona (September 27, 2015)

With nearly 94% of the votes counted, the "Junts per Si" ("Together for Yes") won 62 seats, while the far-left separatist CUP party is expected to secure 10 mandates.
"We have won," Catalan regional President Artus Mas told his cheering supporters late on Sunday.



After a celebration rally, the pro-independence camp's leaders told the BBC's Tom Burridge that they would now proceed towards the creation of an independent Catalan state.
But the road ahead is controversial and anything but clear, our correspondent adds.

The pro-independence parties said ahead of the vote that they considered it a de facto referendum on independence from Spain.
They argue that the Spanish government has consistently refused to allow a legally recognised referendum to take place, ignoring an unofficial vote backing independence in November 2014.

Opinion polls suggest a majority of Catalans favour a referendum on independence but are evenly divided over whether they want to secede.


More than five million people were eligible to vote.

The ruling Convergencia party of Mr Mas and the Esquerra Republicana party put up a single list of candidates - under the "Together for Yes" banner.
The anti-independence vote in Catalonia was split between a number of groups, including Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party.
The centre-right government in Madrid has described any breakaway plans as "a nonsense".

Mr Rajoy argues that because the loss of Catalonia would affect all of Spain, the democratic approach would be for all of the country to vote in a referendum on Catalonia's future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34372548

1. The Catalans saw that in the UK, the British government allowed the Scots to organize an independence referendum, so they may be thinking that are they "lesser" than Scots and should not be allowed to organize a referendum for independence.

2. The Madrid centre's somewhat antagonistic, as opposed to reconciliatory, approach has just increased Catalan resentment.

No one knows what will happen.

I've spoken to Catalans myself and some want independence, some don't. I have noticed those who are calmer (more "sober) and focused on practicalities e.g. the economy do not want independence.

The ones who do want independence are usually more emotional and have a romantic view of Catalan nationalism.

It will be interesting to follow this and see the impact on the rest of the world.



Basques.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/basque-country-head-wants-referendum-ties-spain-203812576.html#8enne9u



Balochistan.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Pashtuns and Balochis form 1000 km + chain for independance on the Durrand Line (okay, how long is the Durrand line if not 1000 km?)

The Spanish government is a relatively civilized democratic government, Pakistan is a military-run state with a civilian who administers economic affairs and a few other things.

The Pakistani military will try and crush any attempt at independence even if that means destroying mosques, genocide, so be it.