Carles Puigdemont - then Catalan president - fled abroad with several other leaders. Many who remained were arrested and charged with treason. Spain's Supreme Court finally sentenced nine of the arrested Catalan leaders in October, sparking the latest unrest. Former vice president Oriol Junqueras was handed a year prison sentence for sedition and misuse of public funds. The other eight receive sentences of between 12 and 9 years. Demonstrators took to the streets in fury and have repeatedly clashed with police in some of the worst street violence to hit Spain in decades.
If the separatists do ever manage to split away, it would be hard for Catalonia to win recognition internationally. New states mostly emerge from situations where ethnic groups have been victims of genocide or other major human rights abuses. Kosovo was a huge humanitarian crisis for Europe - even so, many countries refuse to recognise it as independent.
Catalonia has its own language and distinctive traditions, and a population nearly as big as Switzerland's 7. It's also a vital part of the Spanish state, locked in since the 15th Century. Barcelona has become one of the EU's best-loved city-break destinations, famed for its Summer Olympics, trade fairs, football and tourism.
Generations of people from poorer parts of Spain have moved there for work, forming strong family bonds with regions such as Andalusia. During this crisis, the Catalan economy has suffered. Thousands of businesses, including major banks and energy firms, have moved their headquarters out of the region.
The EU has treated the crisis as an internal matter for Spain, deaf to the separatists' pleas for support. Nevertheless the current stand-off between Catalonia and Spain goes a lot further back.
Catalonia has a proud cultural heritage, its own language and a centuries-long history of antagonism towards Spain. Aside from the long, turbulent historical context, deep divisions also exist within Catalonian politics and society in the present day.
Political scientist Roger Senserrich has argued that crisis is not a fight between Spain and Catalonia but stems from divisions within Catalonia. He said that Catalans who want a clean break with Spain tend to live in rural areas, outside Barcelona, where the Catalan language is far more prevalent than Spanish. He added unionists tend to be more urban, live in more diverse communities, speak Spanish at home instead of Catalan, and have less education, as well as lower incomes.
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Skip to content. Marketplace Contributor Sep 29, Listen Now. Share Now on:. The region is preparing for an independence referendum on Oct.
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