Enough is Enough

Part 3

Franco observing his troops entering Madrid. This was the symbolic end of the Civil War. Photo was taken by Life Magazine.

”We are constantly being oppressed! Always oppressed. Even as far back as 1714 (Spanish War of Succession where Catalonia was occupied), and then there was Franco. In 1714, they didn’t allow us to speak Catalan, and under Franco, it was the same. That’s other than the deaths like my great-grandfather who was killed by Franco. He was a Republican who was caught by some of Franco’s men and shot. If you have cases like this in your family then you’ve had enough, you feel part of the Catalan Republic and not of Spain.”

Guillem Catena (Pro-independence)

Here in one of the most beautiful regions of the world, the ghost of Franco still haunts the people of Catalonia.

The marks of the dictator’s conquest are still present everywhere.

The church of Sant Felipe Neri in Barcelona bears the scars of an indiscriminate bombing that happened during the Civil War. During one of the raids, a bomb dropped near the church killed 30 people, mostly children. The marks from that weapon have left permanent holes in the façade of the building.

And then there were the arrests after the city fell to Franco.

Like my great-grandfather, Republicans were rounded up and detained. Some were sent to prison camps- others didn’t get so ‘lucky’.

Many were shot on the spot, others were taken to Montjuic castle, located on the top of a mountain and executed there.

It’s still possible to see the walls where they took their last breath before a firing squad did its work.

It’s impossible to know exactly how many died because the Nationalists didn’t keep records- it’s estimated that at least 200 000 civilians were killed during this time.

And then the cultural oppression started. Franco’s government completely banned the Catalan language, cultural practices, and names. Even the inscriptions in cemeteries commemorating famous Catalans were removed, according to military historian Anthony Beevor in his book: The Battle for Spain and historian Thomas Hugh in his book: The Spanish Civil War. The Catalans were a particular target for Franco because their different language and culture put them at odds with his vision of Spain.

It’s also important to note that this isn’t the first time that Catalonia’s language and cultures were banned. In 1714, similar measures were instated.

It's the knowledge about this oppression that pushes so many to want independence from Spain.

The church of Sant Felipe Neri. Photo by Barcelona Tourism.

Republican soldiers being led away. Photo by Getty.

A Republican militiaman gets shot down by a Nationalist solder. Voted one of Time Magazine's most iconic photos, this was the first picture to ever show a battlefield death. This photo was taken by Robert Capa.

One of them is Guillem Catena, a young Catalan, who has studied history.

“I’m lucky that my father and my family taught me about the history of Catalonia,” he said. “We are constantly being oppressed! Always oppressed.”

And he’s not alone in holding this belief, a study done by the Intergenerational Foundation concluded that nearly 70% of young people are independistes.

But young people grew up in a different Spain. They themselves were never subjected to Franco’s rule and have lived in a relatively peaceful time where Catalan language and culture is allowed to flourish.

So why are they so motivated by historical reasons?

For Catena, it’s personal.

“My great-grandfather was killed by Franco. He was a Republican who was caught by some of Franco’s men and shot. If you have cases like this in your family then you’ve had enough, you feel part of the Catalan Republic and not of Spain.”

2 Esteladas (independence flags)

For anti-independistes like Gemma Morales, this is incredibly worrying.

“A century ago, there were no independistes and why are there are so many now?” Morales said. “Because schools are a machine for creating them and Catalonia will become 70% independiste because of lies.”

As someone who studied history at university, she worries about how the educational system, which has been controlled by pro-independence governments, have weaponized Catalonia’s long history into a political weapon.

Her argument is supported by research done by Francisco Oya, a Catalan professor of history at the Joan Boscà college in Barcelona. Oya found that in Catalan schools “all historical events were presented as a confrontation between virtuous civilized Catalans and oppressive ignorant Spaniards.”

A common statement from Independistes is that Catalonia was once an independent kingdom. Yet, Morales contests this by using Oya’s and other historical research which shows that Catalonia has never existed on its own.

She believes this disinformation is used to brainwash children into becoming independence supporters.

And while Morales acknowledges that Franco did some terrible things, she thinks that his full legacy is not being taught.

“I’m not a Franco supporter in any way and I dislike saying positive things about him,” she said. “But, we can’t lie to people, he did some good things. For example, he started social security which is a wonderful thing. In a way, he was more of a socialist than Podemos (a left-wing party in Spain.)”

When I ask Catena about this argument, he rolls his eyes in frustration.

“Yeah, it’s like we weren’t oppressed. Or they didn’t even kill anyone,” he said angrily.

And I recognize his anger towards Franco. I have the same one.

When Morales was talking about the positive aspects of the dictator, I couldn’t help but think of my family and what he put them through because they didn’t believe in his fascist vision of Spain.

It’s not the only way that Catena and I are alike. We have the same type of hair that won’t stay down, similar eyes, close in height, identical beards and face shape. In reality, we’re from the same genetic pool, we’re both from this part of the world.

And both of our families were attacked by the same dictator.

I can’t stop wondering, if my great-grandmother hadn’t fled with my family, would I have grown up to be like him? Would I be speaking perfect Spanish and Catalan?

Or more importantly, would I also be fighting for the independence of Catalonia?

17-year-old Marina Ginestà poses for the camera following a failed Nationalist uprising in Barcelona. She was meant to project the confidence that was coursing through the Republican ranks. Ginestà recently died at 94-years-old in Paris. Photo by Juan Guzmán via EFE.

For Catena, the long history of oppression means that Catalonia and Spain are not compatible together.

“What they (Spain) got to power, they eliminated the culture of the people that they ruled. Eliminated their languages, and their traditions,” said Catena.

But while Catalan traditions and cultures have bounced back since the dictatorship, there’s a certain aspect of what Spain has done that will always remain in play for independence supporters.

“And then they generated hate, that’s what we saw on October 1.”

October 1, 2017, is one of the most traumatic days in recent memory for Catalans on both sides of the debate.

When he saw what happened to his people, Catena cried.

Click: Find Out What Happened On October 1