Catalonia is one of the oldest European nations. Located on the north eastern side of the Iberian peninsula with a current population if 7.5 million people. It has its own culture, language and traditions. Until 1714 was an independent state with its own government, laws, constitution and institutions. It has one of the oldest democratic traditions having created the first Parliament in mainland Europe during the middle ages.
In 1714, after the defeat in the succession war the Castilians imposed their language, dismantled the Catalan institutions and committed a cultural and …
Through a Catalan newspaper I read that Bernhard von Grünberg, a German deputy from the North Rhine-Westphalia landtag (one of the german regional parliaments) recently sent a letter to the leader of the European Socialist Party, Martin Schulz, urging him to involve the European Parliament to prevent another potential instability focus in Europe, especially after the Spanish Constitutional Court cut down the Catalan Statute that had been previously accepted by the Spanish Parliament. Mr Von Grünberg urged Mr Schulz to take action since winds of change seem to be blowing …
En el darrer mes hem pogut observar les reaccions dels diferents partits parlamentaris a la sentència de l’estatut i la manifestació del 10-J. Tímidament, a contracor, sembla que els partits s’han adonat que si seguien defensant el mateix que abans se’ls veuria massa el llautó i perdrien vots. El problema és que les solucions que hem sentit fins ara són senzillament impossibles, sembla que aquests partits estan atrapats a la teranyina autonomista que han anat teixint durant 3 dècades i trencar amb aquest marc mental els resulta impossible.
Analitzem les diferents …
One of the first consequences of the Catalan Statute sentence passed last month by the Spanish Constitutional Court. The Catalan Welcoming and Integration Law says that immigrants who arrive in Catalonia will be welcomed in Catalan to acomplish this the Generalitat (the Catalan Government) offers free Catalan courses. Now the Spanish Ombudsman is appealing this law to the Spanish Constitutional Court and wants this to change so that they are welcomed in Castilian-Spanish instead (link in Catalan). This makes no sense since the language in Catalonia is obviously Catalan, not …
I recommend this excellent article on Catalonia recently published in Los Angeles Times written by Henry Chu.
It seems that international media are slowly realising that the best way to inform about the Catalan conflict is to get first hand information instead of the usual Spanish-biased point of view after just reading a bunch of newspapers published in Madrid. Serious newspapers can’t afford that lack of professionalism.
Let’s hope that slowly the international understanding of Catalonia’s struggle increases. It’ll definitely come in handy for all sides when the declaration of independence …
