Divided

Part 2

Protesters cover their mouths. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

“If we say anything that goes against the pro-independence position, they attack us and call us xarnego (a slur that insinuates the person is not really Catalan and is a traitor to their region.)”
Gemma Morales (Anti-independence)

Walking through the streets of Barcelona is truly an incredible experience. Its small winding roads are full of secrets and every once in a while, there will be an incredible modernist monument that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world. But, there’s something else that dominates this city.

Pro-independence flags are everywhere and yellow ribbons (a symbol of the movement) line the streets. On this evidence alone, it would be easy to conclude that everyone in this region doesn’t want to be a part of Spain.

Yet, the polls say otherwise. A recent one showed that 48.6 per cent of Catalans are against independence while 47.2 per cent holds the other viewpoint.

So where are the Spanish flags in Barcelona? Where are the symbols of the anti-independence movement?

“The 47 per cent of independistes (Spanish word for independence supporter) are the ones that make themselves seen. If you go in the street that’s all you’ll see and the other half doesn’t exist because people are scared to talk,” said anti-independence protester Gemma Morales.

And my own experience with this issue confirms this viewpoint. While pro-independence people were very willing to share their ideas, anti-independence were practically impossible to find. Bumping into Morales was a stroke of luck.

“The truth is, I’m not someone to stay quiet. I like to say what I think. I’ve had times where I’ve stood up to the independistes and I’ve had people call me later and thank me for doing that because they think like me as well,” she said.

Recently, Spanish media have been circulating the story of a 10-year-old girl who was shaken by her teacher and then grabbed by the neck and dragged out of the classroom. Her crime?

Writing ‘Viva Espana’ in her yearbook.

While Morales never had to go through something so traumatic, she had similar experiences at school.

“Back when I was at school, I would talk to my sister in Spanish and teachers would stop us and ask us why we were talking in Spanish when we could speak in Catalan,” said Morales. “They obligated us to speak a language. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this is an injustice.”

A typical street in Barcelona full of pro-independence symbols

Pro-independence supporter Guillem Catena agrees that there are barely any Spanish flags in Barcelona, but he thinks that it’s for a different reason.

“It’s not like in the US, people don’t hang flags of their country from their balcony. Here there is none of this patriotic sentiment, I’ve never seen it,” he said. “But that’s because this is nationalism that comes from Franco.”

Fundamentally, what Morales' experience shows is the great division that is found in Catalan society. For independistes, the other side is supporters of Franco and nothing can be given to them in concession. They feel like they are protecting their culture from the oppressor.

While the unionists believe that those who want to separate are brainwashed idiots who would put this region into an economic crisis just to prove a point, they also feel deeply attached to Spain and don’t see them as an oppressor.

Both sides burn each other's symbols and flags at rallies and politicians never set an example by finding consciences.

From talking with everyone that I have, I truly believe that each person loves Catalonia and if maybe they used that as a basis of negotiations instead of insults, then this crisis could be resolved. I know that I’ve always been an optimist.

But, independistes believe that history proves that Catalonia should be a separate country; an interpretation of the past that is contested by the other side.

Click: Learn more about the history of Catalonia here

Divided

“If we say anything that goes against the pro-independence position, they attack us and call us xarnego (a slur that insinuates the person is not really Catalan and is a traitor to their region.)”Gemma Morales (Anti-independence)

Walking through the streets of Barcelona is truly an incredible experience. Its small winding roads are full of secrets and every once in a while, there will be an incredible modernist monument that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world. But, there’s something else that dominates this city.

​

Pro-independence flags are everywhere and yellow ribbons (a symbol of the movement) line the streets. On this evidence alone, it would be easy to conclude that everyone in this region doesn’t want to be a part of Spain.

​

Yet, the polls say otherwise. A recent one showed that 48.6 per cent of Catalans are against independence while 47.2 per cent holds the other viewpoint.

​

So where are the Spanish flags in Barcelona? Where are the symbols of the anti-independence movement?

​

“The 47 per cent of independistes (Spanish word for independence supporter) are the ones that make themselves seen. If you go in the street that’s all you’ll see and the other half doesn’t exist because people are scared to talk,” said anti-independence protester Gemma Morales.

​

And my own experience with this issue confirms this viewpoint. While pro-independence people were very willing to share their ideas, anti-independence were practically impossible to find. Bumping into Morales was a stroke of luck.

​

“The truth is, I’m not someone to stay quiet. I like to say what I think. I’ve had times where I’ve stood up to the independistes and I’ve had people call me later and thank me for doing that because they think like me as well,” she said.

​

Recently, Spanish media have been circulating the story of a 10-year-old girl who was shaken by her teacher and then grabbed by the neck and dragged out of the classroom. Her crime?

​

Writing ‘Viva Espana’ in her yearbook.

​

While Morales never had to go through something so traumatic, she had similar experiences at school.

​

“Back when I was at school, I would talk to my sister in Spanish and teachers would stop us and ask us why we were talking in Spanish when we could speak in Catalan,” said Morales. “They obligated us to speak a language. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this is an injustice.”

Pro-independence supporter Guillem Catena agrees that there are barely any Spanish flags in Barcelona, but he thinks that it’s for a different reason.

​

“It’s not like in the US, people don’t hang flags of their country from their balcony. Here there is none of this patriotic sentiment, I’ve never seen it,” he said. “But that’s because this is nationalism that comes from Franco.”

Fundamentally, what Morales' experience shows is the great division that is found in Catalan society. For independistes, the other side is supporters of Franco and nothing can be given to them in concession. They feel like they are protecting their culture from the oppressor.

​

While the unionists believe that those who want to separate are brainwashed idiots who would put this region into an economic crisis just to prove a point, they also feel deeply attached to Spain and don’t see them as an oppressor.

​

Both sides burn each other's symbols and flags at rallies and politicians never set an example by finding consciences.

​

From talking with everyone that I have, I truly believe that each person loves Catalonia and if maybe they used that as a basis of negotiations instead of insults, then this crisis could be resolved. I know that I’ve always been an optimist.

​

But, independistes believe that history proves that Catalonia should be a separate country; an interpretation of the past that is contested by the other side.

“If we say anything that goes against the pro-independence position, they attack us and call us xarnego (a slur that insinuates the person is not really Catalan and is a traitor to their region.)”
Gemma Morales (Anti-independence)