Tuesday, July 8, 2014

1982-2014: The Soviets Did Not Save Galtieri, The Russians Will Not Save Rajoy

The decision by Spain's Rajoy administration to facilitate Russian naval operations in the Mediterranean and Atlantic by providing logistical support to the Russian Navy at Ceuta (right in front of Gibraltar) has shocked some, in particular given the mounting crisis between NATO and Russia. Furthermore, coming from a party founded by leading figures of the Franco regime, it may seem even more odd. After all the Spanish Government keeps paying public homage regularly to the Nazi Wermacht, while Russia is extremely sensitive to any attempt to revise her narrative of the Great Patriotic War (Second World War).

However, a look at history shows that it is not so unusual for Fascist, or neo-Fascist, regimes to have strange bed fellows when trying to confront British democracy. In 1982, following the Argentine invasion of the Falklands, the Junta received military aid from the Soviet Union, including satellite intelligence. This was despite Buenos Aires being considered to be a bastion of anti-communism. This was so much the case, that cooperation with Washington in Central America was one of the reasons why the Junta made the mistake of thinking that America would come on her side after the landings. When, despite General Haig's shuttle diplomacy and official neutrality, Washington came squarely in favor of Great Britain, providing key logistical support and some essential equipment like the air-to-air Stinger missile, those fantasies quickly gave way to a desperate attempt to get support from any quarter. Ideology was quickly tossed aside in the name of real politik.

Something similar may be happening in Spain. Rajoy, who like Galtieri and his successors, has never renounced to use force to conquer what he believes is his property, namely Gibraltar, regardless of the wishes of the Rock's inhabitants, and who has the same approach towards Catalonia, was confident to secure American support. However, after US President Obama failed to speak out against Catalan independence at a joint meeting with the media present, and some White House high officials went as far as publicly suggesting that at the end of the day it was up to the Catalans to determine their future status, Rajoy may have concluded, just like Galtieri, that his only hope lied elsewhere. Prime Minister Cameron's public warning not to use force against Catalonia, and the people of Gibraltar's resolve to remain loyal citizens of Her Majesty the Queen, can only have reinforced Rajoy's feeling that the West could not be relied on when it came to crushing a people's will by force.

When we take all this into consideration, what may seem at first surprising, ceases to seem so. There is nothing strange with two semi-democratic regimes cooperating in the naval sphere. What would be strange would be to see a neo-Fascist like Rajoy work side by side with democracies like the US and the UK. Birds of the same feather … 

The coming months will be harsh, for both Gibraltar and Catalonia, and we can expect growing tensions and even more incidents. However, there is nothing stronger than a heart where the flame of freedom burns, and it is no coincidence that the English and the Catalan Parliaments were the first in the world. Soviet help did not save Galtieri, and Russian assistance will not save Rajoy. Democracy will win in the Western Mediterranean, just like it triumphed in the South Atlantic.

Alex Calvo is an expert on security and defence in Asia

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Monday, July 7, 2014

Madrid asks Catalonia to pay 6,057 euros for every pupil being privately educated in Spanish

Spanish Education Minister Jose Ignacio Wert
The Spanish government is asking the Catalan Government to pay 6,057 euros annually for every pupil that enrols in private education in Spanish if there is no such an offer in the public system. Catalan is the main language of instruction in schools in Catalonia, but this has caused a conflict between the PP government and the Catalan executive that is now coming to a head. Madrid says that Catalonia should pay for this private education if it refuses to make Spanish the language of instruction together with Catalan. Recently, the State Council, the Spanish Government’s main advisory body, asked the Ministry of Education to “reconsider entirely” its decision.


The plan of the Spanish government is to pay the sum of 6,057 euros to every child enrolling in private education because his or her family is not satisfied with the linguistic offer in the public system. Afterwards, Madrid will ask Catalonia to pay this money back.

Irene Rigau warned that there are no private schools in Catalonia offering full education only in Spanish. “The move aims to create a new offer, it is not designed with current education offers in mind”, she said in an interview. “There is not a single private school offering all classes in Spanish”, she warned.

According to the Catalan Minister, the Spanish Government “is not hiding” its intention to introduce “the Basque model” in Catalonia. In the Basque Country, there are schools teaching only in Spanish, bilingual schools and schools teaching only in Basque. “Our model is different, we don’t separate pupils for language reasons”, she warned. “The final results at the end of compulsory education show pupils’ linguistic competence” in both Spanish and Catalan, she added.

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Sunday, July 6, 2014

The Salamanca Documents

After 75 years, Catalonia still awaits the return of the documents. Here three articles about this topic:
From Pillage to Reparation: The struggle for the Salamanca papers

It is a great pleasure to have been asked to talk to you today about the case of the so-called "Salamanca Papers". I greatly appreciate Professor Preston's invitation. I think that there are a couple of things I should say to introduce myself. I have only ever spoken in public in England once before. That was thirty-one years ago, in 1975, at a meeting held in Oxford in protest over the last death sentences decreed by the Franco regime. I hate to think what I must have said. I was born and brought up in England, my father having been a London-born ex-RAF pilot and my mother -still alive and kicking- the eldest daughter of a Catalan surgeon, Josep Trueta. Like several hundred thousand fellow Catalans and Republicans, he went into exile in February 1939, at the end of the Spanish Civil War. His exile in England was prompted not  read more..


A tale of two archives

As Viewpoint's Special Correspondent in Catalonia, I am moved to get into print a version of a talk I gave a few months ago to my old Department, the School of Modern Languages. The topic is one that I have been involved with a little over the past year or so, and it has given me reason to recall with nostalgia the exemplary manner in which, over the past twenty years, the University has become a renowned repository of historical archives, thanks, in particular, to the initiative of former Vice-Chancellor John Roberts in obtaining the deposit of the Wellington Papers in the early 80s and to the vision, commitment and expertise of former Librarian Bernard Naylor and (still going strong) Archivist Christopher Woolgar. The Hartley Library is now a major centre for the study of 19th- and 20th-century British history and Anglo-Jewish relations.  Contrast the way in which the owners of family and institutional papers have entrusted them to the expert care of the Hartley Library read more..


Salamanca Documents Not Yet Returned

After years of non-compliance, the Spanish Minister of Culture promised that the Spanish State would return to Catalonia, by 30th June 2012, all the documents that were looted by Spain during the war and stored at the Spanish Civil War Archive in Salamanca. Months after this deadline, the documents that belong to individuals and to private organizations and were meant to be sent to the Catalan government never made it back. It seems history will repeat itself as with the previous shipment promised by the Spanish Minister of Culture under Spanish president Zapatero, when everything was ready for the return of the documents and the Spanish administration stopped the shipment.
Yet hundreds of boxes full of documents are pending return. For this reason, when on the 26th of April the Spanish Minister of Culture told his Catalan peer that the documents, filed as war booty in the General Spanish Civil War Archive in Salamanca, would be returned before the 30th of June, we breathed a sigh of relief.
After facing year after year of non-compliance and delays, Mr. Wert's words were welcome. In this context, it must be taken into account that the last Minister of Culture read more..

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

The creator of Wikipedia about Catalan language

The creator of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales
Speaking at the V Fórum Impulsa in Girona last Friday, the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, discussed how the online encyclopaedia "protects and expands knowledge" of Catalan. In fact, it was one of the first languages to launch articles on the site, after English and German, and has now already amassed more than 400,000. Wales has highlighted Catalonia’s "passion for its language," and compared it with the Welsh Wikipedia, which is also “extremely active” despite Welsh being a relatively little spoken language. The creator of the free encyclopaedia was one of the featured speakers at the fifth edition of the Fórum Impulsa in Girona, along with others such as the President of the World Bank, James D. Wolfenshon, and Antonin Léonard, the creator of Ouishare, a movement which promotes collective and collaborative consumption.


Jimmy Wales was one of the big names speaking at this fifth edition of the Fórum Impulsa, an international showcase of entrepreneurship annually held in Girona. The 2014 edition bore the slogan “open and collaborative" and held Wales as an example of someone who embodies this spirit.

The free encyclopaedia he created today attracts more than 550 million monthly visitors from around the globe, and is funded entirely by donations. Last year, the budget of Wikipedia was $ 50 million, thanks "to a large majority of small donors", as Wales explained (donors who on average contribute between 30 and 40 euros).

The online encyclopaedia, which already has an app for iPhone and Android, has rapidly developed, expanding knowledge around the world. "Our application 'Wikipedia Zero has no charge, and that gives us access to developing countries, where sometimes users may pay for little more than the phone" explained its creator. 

But the potential of Wikipedia does not just lie here. The free encyclopaedia also serves to protect and expand the knowledge of "sensitive tongues,” according to Wales. To illustrate this, the Wikipedia creator referred to the similar situations of Welsh and Catalan. Both have an active presence on Wikipedia despite being comparatively little spoken languages. 

"Extremely active"

Jimmy Wales said that Welsh and Catalan pages are "extremely active" demonstrating "the passion for language" that their speakers share. In addition, he highlighted the drive to teach Catalan in Catalonia, a contrast to Wales, where its use on the street is “limited”.

The Wikipedia founder explained during his presentation that today, there are 430,000 entries in Catalan within the free encyclopaedia. And, indeed, this was one of the first languages to have articles on the site. The first language set up after English was German, and “just a few moments later,” Catalan. Wales explained this was because “some Catalan people were very eager that we should set this up.”

Wales illustrated the push of Catalan in Wikipedia with some statistics. "The Catalan Wikipedia, with respect to the volume of entries, occupies the 17th place in the world rankings," he announced. "In addition, for every million speakers of Catalan, Wikipedia has 56 publishers, compared with 21 in English or 8 in Spanish”, he added.

Finally, with regards to the global regulations that pertain to the Internet, the Wikipedia founder believes that it is not necessary to tighten and restrict the web with new laws. "Those in smaller countries, however, need more government transparency," he argued.

Internationally renowned

The fifth edition of the Fórum, organized by the Prince of Girona Foundation (FPdGi), has brought internationally renowned speakers to the city. The conference opened on Friday with a lecture by the former President of the World Bank, James D. Wolfhenson. During his speech, Wolfhenson talked about the international perception of the new Spanish King Felipe VI (who had just chaired the FPdGi Awards ceremony on Thursday), which he generally considered to be very positive. 

"He is a new face, and all I can say is that you are very lucky to have him," said the former President. "At least, people on the outside, and in particular non-Catalans, think of him as a great leader for Spain, and want to keep the country together," said Wolfhenson, who also stated that he believed Felipe VI could help eliminate the economic crisis. 

The morning’s presentations were divided into three sections: The Opportunity, the Present and the Horizon. Among those speaking on the stage of the Auditorium in the Palace of Congress of Girona were the inventor of Internet identities, Paul Mockapteris; the creator of the collaborative movement OuiShare, Antonin Léonard and CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz.

Over 1,300 people, mostly young people, attended this year's V Fórum Impulsa. The presentations in the auditorium ended early in the afternoon on Friday, and the programme was closed by the second annual meeting of the “talent sponsor”.

The initiative promoted by FPdGi aims to improve young people’s access to the labour market, putting them in contact with employers. This second meeting was held at the Hotel-Ultònia in order to open the forum to the city with the participation of 150 people (including youth and mentors).

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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Catalan Independence Leader Vows Never to Quit Fight

Barcelona: The leader of the largest pro-independence force in Catalonia, Oriol Junqueras, has vowed never to quit in his fight for a referendum on redrawing the map of Spain.

File Photo: Leader of the ERC party (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya -
Republican Left from Catalonia Oriol Junqueras at a press conference.
Junqueras, a bearded, 45-year-old former university historian who now leads the secessionist Republican Left of Catalonia, said he was confident the Spanish government would eventually have to bow to the wishes of Catalans to hold a vote on independence.

Political leaders in the northeastern region are campaigning to hold a vote on November 9 on whether to break away from the rest of Spain.

But they face outright opposition from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's ruling conservative Popular Party and the main opposition Socialists, which refuse to countenance a breakup of Spain and say it would flout the constitution.

"I am convinced that democracy will eventually find a way," Junqueras told AFP in an interview, saying Catalans were largely in favour of holding a vote whether or not they favoured independence.

"I will do everything possible to make it so, so that the dignity of the citizens be respected," he added.

"Obviously I will not surrender, I will not give up, I will not leave, I will not tire. I will carry on trying. If many of us try and we are a majority, obviously we will end up winning."

When Oriol took over his party in 2011, it was riven with internal dissent.

Three years later, Republic Left of Catalonia is the second largest force in the regional parliament, ruling in alliance with regional president Artur Mas's Convergence and Union coalition.

In the European Parliament elections in May, Republican Left of Catalonia emerged victorious in the region for the first time since the 1930s.

How will they stop us? 

Nevertheless, the pro-secessionist party faces major obstacles in its campaign for independence for this region of 7.5 million people, which is fiercely proud of its distinct language and culture and increasingly resentful of its treatment by Madrid.

In April, Spain's national parliament rejected Catalonia's request to hold a November 9 independence referendum by a landslide 299 votes to 47.

Catalonia's political leaders nevertheless remain determined to find an alternative legal route to a referendum.

Junqueras has previously refused to rule out even a unilateral declaration of independence, and he questions whether the Spanish government is able to stop a determined region from going ahead with the referendum.

"The key question is what does the Spanish government think it will do to stop citizens from voting," he said.

"When there are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of voters with papers in their hands queueing up to vote, what does the Spanish government think it will do to stop it?"

Even if a referendum is held and it eventually leads to an independence process for Catalonia, Junqueras argues that ensuing negotiations would have to include Spain and the European Union.

"This would not be a unilateral exercise. Not even bilateral between Catalonia and Spain because the various interests of the European states in Catalonia are immense, such as the public debt or the stability of southern Europe," Junqueras said.

"We are in a multilateral scenario and it will be resolved multilaterally."

Junqueras moved from the university classroom to politics in 2009 when he became a member of the European Parliament before taking over in 2011 as mayor of Sant Vicenc dels Horts, a commuter town near Barcelona.

He soon took the reins of Republican Left of Catalonia, which was still nursing its wounds after heavy electoral losses.

Riding the wave of growing pro-independence sentiment, Junqueras's party was the second-biggest vote winner in regional elections in 2012, giving it the power to extract an agreement from Mas to hold a November 9 referendum on self-rule.

"Our conviction is that agreements should be respected," Junqueras said.

"The referendum is the best possible democratic instrument and it generates a broad consensus among the Catalan people."

Source: ndtv

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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

US ambassador to Spain says American companies would “make adjustments” to adapt to an independent Catalonia


James Costos, US Ambassador to Spain
Madrid (ACN).- The United States Ambassador to Spain, James Costos, said on Tuesday that American companies would “make adjustments” to adapt to a hypothetical independent Catalonia. “The United States, my embassy, my team, the business community, American companies are watching this and are of course interested in what the outcome will be”, he said, referring to the political situation in Catalonia, where the government is planning to hold a referendum of independence on the 9th of November.

The American ambassador said that the situation in Catalonia is “an internal question” of Spain, but admitted that they are following the process “to see what happens”. “My position has always been that, in any business, as people look into the future, things change, and the economic environment changes”, he said.

Costos added that businesspeople need to “have a look at things that are coming down the pike and take decisions based on that”. The US ambassador admitted that “if things change” in Catalonia, American companies “will make adjustments accordingly”. He did not mention, however, what kind of adjustments.

The ambassador avoided commenting on the economic consequences of independence, and, unlike the Spanish government, he did not warn of any potential business risks in case of separation. In January, the president of the United States, Barack Obama, also rejected commenting on the political situation in Catalonia. In a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in the White House, Obama avoided the issue. However, in June the US president intervened in the Scottish debate, saying that he would prefer a “strong and united” United Kingdom.


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Saturday, June 28, 2014

496 Spanish State Vessel Incursions into BGTW Last Year


In a recent UK Commons debate on Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton Jim Dobbin questioned Europe Minister David Lidington on the number of incursions by Spanish state vessels in BGTW between December 2013 and now. Minister Lidington stated that there had been a total of 496 incursions throughout 2013, with 9 being carried out in December. This year there has been 77 unlawful incursions as of 28th February. Guardia Civil carried out 53 of these, with two being carried out by the Spanish Navy.

Minister Lidington went on to say that the Government continues to make diplomatic protests to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding these incursions. He added, ‘unlawful incursions do not weaken or undermine the legal basis for British sovereignty over Gibraltar territorial waters.’

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Friday, June 27, 2014

Barcelona Moves Forward in Participation, Democracy

Recent years have seen Barcelona gain growing international exposure, while gradually leaving behind any temptation to try to be Spain's second city, acting instead as the capital of a nation working to recover her sovereignty. Under a new administration, small yet significant steps have taken place. They include frequent trips to the United States by Mayor Trias and a renewed drive, working in tandem with the Catalan Government, to secure intercontinental flights and break the Spanish blockade on rail connections between the city's harbour and the European railway network. Following his trip to Ireland and Portugal, Help Catalonia talked with Carles Agustí, commissioner for citizens participation and associations at Barcelona City Council. 


1.- Help Catalonia:  Big cities can be anonymous and distant from citizens. What is Barcelona doing in order to avoid this?

Thinking of persons. Our project is “the city of persons” and everything revolves around this concept. For example, since we are the world mobile phone capital, and we top the rank of the Smart Cities, our goal is to secure services aimed at improving quality of life for citizens.


2.- Help Catalonia: What are the main concerns that Barcelona Local Council hears from people and associations?

The different, overlapping, crisis that we are suffering.  The economic crisis, of course, which is giving a lot of people a hard time. Also the political crisis, though, with a great mistrust by citizens toward the ruling institutions. The national crisis too, with exhaustion concerning coexistance with Spain, and mutual fatigue in relations between Catalonia and Spain.


3.- Help Catalonia: Concerning this effort to get closer to citizens, to grant them a role in the city's governance, is it related to the gradual taking root of the democracy – right to self-determination duet?

It is all democracy.  Involving citizens in the city's governance, what we call “ruling with the people,” is democracy. So is, obviously, the right to decide, the right to self-determination. In other words the right to vote, which is democracy's core.


4.- Help Catalonia: You have recently travelled to Ireland and Portugal. Is Barcelona's experience in the field of citizens participation prompting any interest?

It is. However, Barcelona is such an international brand that our model prompts interest in whatever field. Also, of course, when it comes to citizens participation. This is an area where we have a concrete model, which we want to export to the world while enriching it with experiences from abroad. All of this is easier thanks to the fact that Barcelona hosts the international headquarters of the main network of cities in the field of citizens participation, the IOPD (International Observatory on Participatory Democracy).  Actually, the IOPD acts as the international organization in this field.


5.- Help Catalonia: On the other hand, which experiences from other cities would you stress?  Have you observed any that Barcelona may be pondering to adopt?

Porto Alegre, the capital per excellence of participatory democracy since it set up participatory budgets. Also different open government experiences such as those from some US and Basque cities, in addition to London.


6.- Help Catalonia: Spain is considered to be a backward, little competitive, corrupt country, with a weak work ethic, obsessed with getting subsidies, unconcerned about international security, freedom of navigation, and the rule of law at sea, and a not very trustworthy ally. In international meetings such as those you have recently attended, how does Barcelona Local Council manage to avoid being tainted by that image?

We travel representing Barcelona, which sports its own brand, and a very powerful one. We try to associate Brand Catalonia to it, in order to promote it. Brand Catalonia remains unknown in a great deal of the world. We do not need any other brand.


7.- Help Catalonia: More generally, despite the impact of the 9/11 Catalan National Day demonstration in 2012, and the 2013 Catalan Way (mass human chain), many tourists and business visitors still associate the Catalan capital with Spain. How can the local council help promote an alternative image, based on modernity and Catalan identity?

I would answer with the same arguments explained in the reply to the previous question. That is, betting on brand Barcelona itself and linking it to Catalonia, the latter standing behind brand Barcelona. Catalonia must gradually get to be known internationally. Plus, actually stressing the distinctive values making up both brands, such as their Mediterranean, European, entrepreneurial nature and the presence of a strong civil society and popular culture, among others.

 
8.- Help Catalonia:  In the case of tourism, Madrid's anti-Gibraltar campaign is prompting a growing number of calls for a tourist boycott against Spain.  Julie Girding, a member of the European Parliament, has issued one such call, while making it clear that she recommended travelling to Catalonia. What can Barcelona Local Council do to ensure that British tourists are not confused and stop visiting Catalonia's capital?

I believe that precisely concerning this issue, Catalonia's and Barcelona's own position has been made clear, different from that of Spain proper.  Our position is far from the ancient claims by others. On the contrary, it is based on respect and solidarity toward the people of Gibraltar's right to self-determination. They also have that right.


9.- Help Catalonia:  In your recent trip to Ireland you had a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny. What were the main issued discussed?

First of all, Barça. He is a football fan and appeared most happy with FC Barcelona. It was a trip with the Leading Cities network of municipalities, led by Boston and where Barcelona plays a significant role. As a result, the rest of the exchange dealt with Ireland's economic recovery model, based on betting on new technologies. This has born fruit, since a large portion of the world's main enterprises in the technology industry have their European or global headquarters in Dublin. Google and Linkedin among them.


10.- Help Catalonia:  Is there any interest in Ireland in Barcelona City Council's citizens participation policies?

Yes, above all those concerning co-innovation and co-creation. We have a number of precedents under our belt, and a certain experience in this field. This was of interest to the Irish, and to other members of the Leading Cities network.


11.- Help Catalonia:  At the Portuguese city of Cascais you co-chaired the 13th IOPD Conference on “Citizenship for Sustainability”. Could you tell us a bit about the issues discussed and the participants' conclusions?

This was the IOPD World Congress, which I referred to earlier. Thus, participants discussed all sort of issues connected to citizens participation. Above all participatory budgets, this is the most widespread experience at the world level, but also open government case studies. One of the conclusions was the need to coordinate among ourselves in making known this sort of experiences. Also a warning on the risk of supranational institutions having excessive power to impose their thesis, something that was considered to be able to weaken the democratic mechanisms whereby citizens may express themselves.


12.- Help Catalonia: The suggested theme for the 14th IOPD Conference is “A radicalization of democracy and citizen participation”. Can we say that it is further evidence that democracy, and associated concepts such as participation and self-determination, are gradually moving forward in the world agenda? What contributions can Barcelona make in this coming conference?

We are contributing our model of citizens participation, called “Ruling with the people”, which is Barcelona's answer to the crisis in citizens' trust in politics, and which is based on involving them in the tasks of government.  The neighbourhood councils, the management of local council facilities by popular entities, the strength of civil society, and electronic participation, are part of the model which Barcelona is exporting, which also includes Catalonia's right to self-determination.



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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Spanish nationalism is ready to initiate mechanisms of violence in the Catalan society


Javier Nart, the candidate of a Spanish nationalist party in Catalonia, confirms:

"We are heading straight into a social breakdown; there will be occasional acts of violence." The strategy against the democracy of the right of self-determination is to incite violence in Catalonia. 

Javier Nart, lawyer, TV pundit and Catalan by choice, promotes hatred towards Catalonia and incites the use of violence in the Catalan society.

With statements published at the hahstag #ViaUlster, Nart is attempting to become relevant in the Spanish political arena. He’s making a living and building his political career at the expense of degrading Catalonia through the media by stirring up the hate between the Spanish and the Catalans.

In an interview published at one of the most subsidized Spanish media , Nart clearly states he is against the joy of the Catalan Way and the right of self-determination. The unionists, who don’t want to lose and are terrible losers, will act without any legitimacy inciting violence in the Catalan society.

The Spanish Nationalists want to take lies and hatred towards Catalans to the European political arena.

The interview does not hide Nart’s intentions. On the contrary, it reveals hatred towards the right of self-determination. The aim of this former militant of the Spanish socialist party PSOE, full of hate towards the people who welcomed him, is to wage war against democracy.

Some quotes:

"Europe was created precisely against nationalism. It was created with the clarity that there would be no more nationalism –and separatism even less.”

"Catalan nationalism is acting as a sociological Francoism."

"It's very curious that sort of schizophrenic knowledge based on talking about the bombing of Barcelona, but not why they were bombed. They were bombed for the same reasons I would defend, which are not the privileges of Mr. Casanovas. "

“There will be neither shots nor casualties, but there will be social tension. There will be occasional acts of violence. Thank god, no party supports violence in Catalonia. However, exclusion essentialism has these consequences. One thing is that one does not promote it –as no separatist promotes it either– but when they state that unionists are bad Catalans for defending the theft, the looting, the cultural genocide, the oppression and occupation, how do you see me? "

“You will be scared shitless when we arrange an Ulster for you”

Some denied it and keep on denying it, but reality puts everyone in their place. The words of the Spanish nationalist candidate make it very clear. It’s about stirring fear, lies and insults in order to incite violence in Catalan society. But the Catalans Democrats refuse fall into their trap.

Read this article in Spanish, Italian

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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Repression against teachers, pupils and families

This year there’s been a repression never lived before against teachers and pupils. For political reasons disciplinary inquiries have been instituted to four headmasters. And all of them have been removed out of their charge. Three groups of youngsters have been persecuted and accused by police forces. Right now all of them are being absolved by courts. Negative sentences against a Government that do not wants to change.
1- Disciplinary inquiries to three secondary headmasters at Maó. An initial suspension from work without pay as headmasters between ten and fifteen days lasted for 6 months. That’s the reason why this disciplinary inquiries are considered as an attack to teachers without legal foundation.
2- Disciplinary inquiry to Marratxí’s secondary school headmaster. It is considered to be very serious the use of illegal recordings made by a minor in order to discredit a headmaster with 25 years of experience. Even more when the disciplinary inquiry that started the suspension from his charge has ended with acquittal by a tribunal.
3- Teachers have suffered from discrediting. Conselleria with its behaviour has settled a climate of oppression and tension among the schools. Education Autonomic Secretary, Guillem Estarellas, Fundación Nacional Círculo Balear and the Assemblea per una Escola Trilingüe have been pointed out as responsible to organize the pilot of persecution and claims against teachers.
4- Minor persecution. Both, the two groups of pupils that were arrested during the strike have been acquitted.
5- Intimidate the parents. During the undefined strike parents supporting it were threaten to be sueded to the public prosecutor for juveniles.
300 RESIGNATIONS FROM THE EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY DURING ONE YEARDSC_0006.JPG
During this year more than 300 resignations to different charges have happened: the head of educational inspection, three hundred department chairperson, Minorca’s Education Delegate, the head in charge to apply the TIL law…. All these resignations are clear examples of a conflict which is blocked and still continues due to the ineffectiveness of the Government.

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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Solidarity from Veneto and Friûl




Autodeterminazione delle Nazioni Friulane e del Litorale (A.N.F.e.L.), newborn movement for self-determination of the peoples of the region Friuli-Venezia Giulia from Italy, expresses its solidarity with Jaume Sastre's hunger strike for the teaching of Catalan language in the Balearic Islands.


In the same sense Sanca Veneta from Veneto too expressed its solidarity with the hunger strike for Catalan some days ago. We really thank both movements.

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Friday, June 20, 2014

Teacher on hunger strike for Catalan language

Kurdish news agency explains in an article the reasons and developing of the campaign #HungerStrikeforCatalan :

Determined to continue and putting his life in the hands of President José Ramón Bauzá, Catalan high school teacher Jaume Sastre has completed the third week of his hunger strike. It is a powerful protest against the education policies of the Balearic Islands government, which has refused to consider any of the demands of teachers and parents during the school year about the controversial decree that discriminates against the Catalan language in the classroom. Sastre has begun to feel weak, but his mind is as strong as the first day. "Maybe he's the one's who has the strongest morale of all of us," says musician, and former teacher Biel Majoral, que is serving as Sastre's spokesperson now that Sastre's health doesn't permit him to attend to the media.
Jaume Sastre walks a little in the mornings, receives fewer and fewer visitors, and tomorrow will do a complete blood analysis to watch his health. It's been twenty-two days since he began the hunger strike and he is determined to complete at least thirty. From that point, he will enter a more serious phase, and if the government still has not made any gesture, they will discuss how to continue the protest. "He is a natural fighter," says Majoral, and points out the huge quantity of people that have stood by Sastre, including his support team.
"We're headed towards thirty days of the strike, that's for sure. We will wait for the government to make a move, but you've seen what Bauzá says. You'd think the PP hadn't lost a single vote," Majoral says. He's referring to the president's declarations on the government's plans to maintain the current road map. It does not seem that they have any intention of sitting down to talk with the teachers. But Sastre, his support team, and in general the Assemblea de Docents (Educators Assembly) maintain the challenge. And they are confident that a time will come when Bauzá will be forced to listen to them and talk.
Jaume Sastre, 55 years of age, has still not received any visits or calls from the government, but he has been called on personally by several members of the PP, and by dozens and dozens of people, educational centers, and associations, who have joined his cause. "This encourages him greatly, and he says he will keep on as long as the government fails to make any move. If Bauzá is conscious of what a hunger strike means, especially with the movement that is behind him, I don't think he has the luxury of closing his eyes," says Majoral.

All sorts of support
Support for Sastre has come from many directions and from people of all political persuasions, including three former presidents of the government. Yesterday, MP Alfred Bosch presented his case to the Spanish Congress with a question to Minister Soria. He has received ample support on social networks as well, through the selfie campaign promoted by Help Catalonia, with messages on Sastre's Facebook page, with his +VilaWeb blog, and through Twitter. Whoever wants to can also visit the Casa Llarga de Palma, next door to So n'Espases, and sign the visitor's book in order to express their support in writing.
Waiting for the "Diada per la Llengua" [Celebration of Language Day] and the round table on Tuesday
Saturday is an important day: the "Diada per la Llengua" [Celebration of Language Day]. It will be another opportunity to measure the strength of the movement that defends Catalan public schooling. That is why the Obra Cultural Balear has called for participation to fill the Plaça Major in Palma with bows made out of flags. The other important day is Tuesday: in Casa Llarga, where Sastre is staying, there will be a round table with educators and all of the parties that defend dialogue with the Councilor of Education and the suspension of legislation on language treatment. All of the parties that together received more than twice as many votes in the PP in the European elections last week.
The hunger strike is a "reaction against the attacks, the mistreatment and the harassment," say those in charge of Sastre's support team. And they add, "Our education has been hijacked by a government that acts dangerously and unilaterally. After two years, this hunger strike is a response to the smear tactics, bureaucracy, forced rulings, attacks on the language, budget cuts, and derision against the use of the Catalan language in public schools."
Sastre ended his fast after 40 days.

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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Great War Centenary Widening Gap Between Catalonia, Spain

The 100 anniversary of the First World War has already prompted a degree of controversy in a number of countries, often concerning how to commemorate the conflict. In the United Kingdom, some robust exchanges have taken place, involving also whether it was right to join the war. However, while some countries may be discussing how to remember the tragic events of 1914-1918, in Catalonia and Spain the rift goes much deeper and is contributing to a widening gap between the two. While a book on the 12,000 Catalan volunteers who joined the Allies to fight and often die in French trenches was a hit and quickly sold out, prompting a second edition, Spanish authorities remain silent on the subject. No plans have been announced by Madrid to honour their sacrifice, while the Spanish-language media keep an awkward silence on the subject. This stands in stark contrast with the growing interest felt in Catalonia, where many people still know very little about them (even today they do not feature in standard school textbooks) but are eager to learn more.

In 1914 Spain decided to stay neutral, and broadly speaking elites in Spain proper were rather pro-German. In Catalonia on the other hand, public and elite opinion tended to favor the Allies. There were exceptions on both sides of course, but this was the overall picture. This resulted from a combination of factors, chief among them being the identification in the minds of many between Catalan and Anglo-French values (Catalonia's parliament is the oldest in Europe and Catalan constitutional traditions closely resemble Great Britain's), and the view that an Allied victory may facilitate a change in the political status of Catalonia (conquered by Spain in 1714). American entry into the war, and President Wilson's 14 points, reinforced the latter, in particular because one of the points concerned self-determination.

In the ensuing 100 years, many things happened, including tragic episodes like the 1936-1939 Civil War and the long Franco-era night, followed by a transition to democracy which for more than a few Spaniards went too far (by allowing Catalonia to recover a limited degree of self-government, after prime minister in exile Josep Tarradellas came back in 1977) while for a growing number of Catalans amount to too little. Things which did not happen, however, include a real effort to arrive at a consensus concerning the historical past. This includes the Great War. With the death of General Franco, the regime made many concessions, but they did not include a reexamination of the past and its official version. One of the many consequences of this failure to reach a consensus is that Catalans often felt that the way they saw and told their children about historical events was different, and sometimes diametrically opposed, to what their counterparts in Spain proper did.

Differences over the Great War are thus no exception, but rather part of this trend. Furthermore, they are of course not the reason, nor the main factor, in a growing distancing between Catalan and Spanish public opinion. However, they are a stark reminder that it is very difficult for people to coexist in a single state when radically-opposed views of history clash, leading to mutual fatigue. While many Catalans may find it offensive that Spanish authorities and historians ignore WWI volunteers, many Spaniards rather find it odd that they should be the subject of books and documentaries, or even openly dispute their existence. Something similar happened when a monument to Winston Churchill was inaugurated in Barcelona in 2012, with no Spanish Government representatives present.

Thus, unless a sincere effort is made by both sides to reach a common understanding of the First World War, it is likely that as commemorations in countries like the UK and France proceed, and more and more works appear on Catalan volunteers (hopefully also in English), the gap will just widen. This is just a reminder of how wars do not conclude when guns fall silent, but rather conclude only when all participants (and not just major actors) are able to reach a common understanding of what happened and why. The Great War is not over yet.

Alex Calvo








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Saturday, June 14, 2014

What Does a 36-Foot-Tall Human Tower Have to Do With Catalan Independence?


What Does a 36-Foot-Tall Human Tower Have to Do With Catalan Independence?
An eye-catching protest across Europe is steeped in cultural heritage says 

In the past few days, in the central squares of eight European capitals, Catalans from northeastern Spain launched an innovative, if quirky, publicity stunt. At noon on June 8, Barcelona-time—the region’s major city, they raised traditional human towers in a coordinated campaign dubbed: “Catalans want to vote. Human Towers for Democracy.” The movement also sparked a following and human towers rose up in more than 60 other towns and cities, including Montreal and Santiago in Chile.

The Catalans are actively seeking international support for a referendum on November 9th, allowing a vote to settle the question of an independent state for the region. The Spanish government maintains that the Catalans have no legal right to pose this question, but most Catalans think that as members of European democracy, they can call for a non-binding plebiscite. The use of human towers to draw attention to the fact that they want their voices to be heard is a dramatic and intriguing display of a performance that was declared in 2010 by UNESCO as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

The Catalan struggle for independence has its roots in culture as much as it does in economics and politics. Catalans speak a unique Romance language, distinct from the French and Spanish spoken in the region, and Catalonia’s political identity dates to the 12th century. Catalonia became part of unified Spain, when King Phillip V abolished its local laws in the first decades of the 18th century.

For centuries, the region maintained its separate identity while under Spanish rule, but by the 1930s, the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who held a particular contempt for Catalonia, enforced a series of measures to stamp out its distinctive language and culture. The Catalan language was not taught in schools or generally used in public, and Catalan versions of names were not permitted on birth certificates or other public records.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, a vibrant independence movement led by a number of strong civic organizations promotes and advocates for this distinctly Catalan culture. Barcelona’s Palace of Catalan Music in Barcelona, often considered a modernist masterpiece, was designed and built by Gaudí’s teacher, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, for the Orfeó Català, a choral music group that sought to provide a broad public access to Catalan music. The current government in Madrid permits the use of the Catalan language, but teaching Catalan in schools continues to be hotly debated. Catalans often also point out that the central government levies more taxes in Catalonia than it reinvests in government services. In 1961, while Spain was still under Franco’s rule, five Catalan men formed Òmnium Cultural to promote Catalan culture and language. Their organization collaborated with the Coordinating Committee of Human Tower Teams of Catalonia to mount the recent performances in Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Lisbon, London and Paris.

The human towers or castells, date to the 18th century, when people in the local town of Valls began to build these remarkable temporary structures at annual festivals. Since that time, local clubs have passed on the tradition, and the amateur teams compete each year at large festivals under the motto “strength, balance, courage, and seny”—a particularly Catalan value that mixes good sense and a calm demeanor and is often contrasted with rauxa, a sense of careless abandon.

The team members that mount the castells wear a simple uniform that includes white pants, a colored shirt, a bandana and a faixa, a sash up to 36-feet-long that provides back support and a handle for climbers. Ideally the castell rises and falls with a smooth and elegant ease. The towers are traditionally called by the number of stages and people per stage—it can have between one and five people per stage. So a castell with three people per stage and five stages is called a "3 by 5." The most ambitious human towers may contain ten stages, but only two human towers in the last 200 years have been assembled and disassembled with that claim to fame.

At the base is the bulky pinya, the band of people who support the weight of the tower. Then climbers descend up the backs of the members of the base and onto their shoulders, locking arms, and stabilizing that stage. The next set of climbers repeat the action until the last stage is completed, but it is amazing to watch as there can be three or four people crawling up the outside of the human tower at once. Really tall castells include a central tower inside the outer ring to provide support, and that pillar stays in place until the rest of the tower is dismantled.

The last person up is usually a child wearing a safety helmet (the Coordinating Committee recently employed modern standards for safety), who stands at the top of the tower, sometimes on the shoulders of nine other people. This child traditionally holds up four fingers, a gesture that evokes the four red strips on the Catalan flag and turns this interesting human feat into an act of cultural nationalism. When Catalans reflect on tower building, they often stress the sense of “community, cooperation and integration—a metaphor or ideal of what many Catalans aspire for Catalonia to be one day,” as Catalan historian Meritxell Martin-Pardo explains.

The Catalans’ use of traditional culture to make a political statement is not unique, but what is remarkable here is how that they are using cultural performances as a tool to build support for their desire for self-determination. This strategic use of cultural and artistic expression is part of what some scholars are calling cultural democracy, the idea that people have the right to determine how their cultural life develops. Cultural democracy also embraces the idea that people use their cultural art forms as a tool to seek their own best interests and their cultural values to chart their course through the present and into the future. It reflects the basic human right to free expression as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It honors and celebrates cultural diversity, and it nurtures active participation in the cultural life of communities. Like others engaged in cultural democracy around the world, the Catalans are using traditional culture to make a modern point about a very real and relevant issue of the day: They are building human towers for democracy.

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Thursday, June 12, 2014

#HungerStrikeForCatalan, some press...

We offer you below a press collection about #hungerStrikeforCatalan

Catalan language hunger striker – solidarity from Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey
WEST BELFAST MP Paul Maskey (pictured below, right) has joined the global solidarity social network campaign by ‘Help Catalonia’ for Jaume Sastre, now on hunger strike for more than 30 days “to defend the teaching of Catalan in the Balearic Islands”.
The campaign consists of people around the world taking a photo with a poster containing the message “#Solidarity with #HungerStrikeForCatalan”.
Help Catalonia says the campaign is in solidarity with the hunger strike “to demand education in Catalan, to defend language immersion and to raise international awareness of the contempt suffered by our language in Spain”. Read more



Solidarietà con Jaume SastreLa Catalogna esprime la sua solidarietà a Jaume Sastre, in sciopero della fame per difendere 
l’insegnamento del catalano nelle isole Baleari.
Help Catalonia ha promosso attraverso le reti sociali una campagna che consiste nel farsi una foto con un cartello dal messaggio “#Solidarity with #HungerStrikeForCatalan” (solidarietà nei confronti dello sciopero della fame per il catalano). L’obiettivo è fare arrivare la nostra solidarietà nei confronti della protesta a favore della lingua che si è messa in moto nelle isole Baleari; e il nostro supporto.... read more



Teacher on hunger strike for Catalan language
ANF - Barcelona31.05.2014 10:39:23
Determined to continue and putting his life in the hands of President José Ramón Bauzá, Catalan high school teacher Jaume Sastre has completed the third week of his hunger strike. It is a powerful protest against the education policies of the Balearic Islands government, which has refused to consider any of the demands of teachers and parents during the school year about the controversial decree that discriminates against the Catalan language in the classroom. Sastre has begun to feel weak, but his mind is as strong as the first day. "Maybe he's the one's who has the strongest morale of all of us," says musician, and former teacher Biel Majoral, que is serving as Sastre's spokesperson now that Sastre's health doesn't permit him to attend to the media. Read more...


Support to teacher on hunger strike for education in mother tongue
NEWS DESK (DİHA) - Supporrt is going on for teacher named Jaume Sastre who is on hunger strike for freedom of education in Catalan language.
Help Catalonia has launched a campaign through the social networks and this campaign met with international support. Lots of artists, actors and politicians supported this act of hunger striker teacher Jaume Sastre. Help Catalonia launched the campaign through the social media which consists of taking a photo with a poster containing the message “#Solidarity with #HungerStrikeForCatalan” to show our solidarity with the protest in favour of the Catalan language which is taking place in the Balearic Islands; and with the hunger strike to demand education in Catalan, to defend language immersion and to raise international awareness of the contempt suffered by our language in Spain. Read more...



La Catalogne exprime sa solidarité envers Jaume Sastre, en grève de la faim pour défendre l'enseignement du catalan aux îles Baléares
[Barcelone] —Help Catalonia (Aidez la Catalogne) a lancé une campagne sur les réseaux sociaux : elle consiste à se prendre en photo avec une affiche portant le message « #Solidarity with #HungerStrikeForCatalan » afin de montrer sa solidarité non seulement envers la protestation en faveur de la langue qui se développe aux îles Baléares, mais aussi avec la grève de la faim de Jaume Sastre, demandant ainsi un enseignement en catalan, défendant l'immersion linguistique et permettant de faire connaître internationalement le mépris que subit notre langue dans l'État espagnol. La campagne attire des journalistes internationaux qui n'avaient pas conscience que la langue parlée sur des territoires aussi différents que Valence ou Majorque est la même que celle de la Catalogne. Read more


La Catalogne exprime sa solidarité envers Jaume Sastre, en grève de la faim pour défendre l’enseignement du catalan aux îles Baléares
Help Catalonia (Aidez la Catalogne) a lancé une campagne sur les réseaux sociaux: elle consiste à se prendre en photo avec une affiche portant le message « #Solidarity with #HungerStrikeForCatalan » afin démontrer sa solidarité non seulement envers la protestation en faveur de la langue qui se développe aux îles Baléares, mais aussi avec la grève de la faim de Jaume Sastre, demandant ainsi un enseignement en catalan, défendant l’immersion linguistique et permettant de faire connaître internationalement le mépris que subit notre langue dans l’État espagnol. Read more


Catalonia in solidarity with Jaume Sastre, on hunger strike to defend teaching of Catalan in Balearic Islands
Help Catalonia has launched a campaign through the social networks which consists of taking a photo with a poster containing the message “#Solidarity with #HungerStrikeForCatalan” to show our solidarity with the protest in favour of the Catalan language which is taking place in the Balearic Islands; and with the hunger strike to demand education in Catalan, to defend language immersion and to raise international awareness of the contempt suffered by our language in Spain. The campaign is attracting the attention of international journalists Read more...


Mai d’un mes en cauma de la fam per l’escòla en catalan, e decidit a contunhar
L’ensenhaire Jaume Sastre es intrat dins la fasa mai delicada de sa protèsta, mas lo govèrn balear a pas fach cap de pas per dialogar
Fa trenta un jorns que lo professor de licèu Jaume Sastre comencèt una cauma de la fam per protestar contra lo mesprètz del govèrn balear envèrs las demandas e los planhs de la comunautat educativa. Mai d’un mes en cauma de la fam per forçar lo president de las Illas Balearas, José Ramón Bauzá, a acceptar lo dialòg amb los ensenhaires que defendon l’escòla publica en catalan e de qualitat. Sastre a pas encara recebut cap de comunicacion del govèrn, mas a recebut per contra fòrça mòstras de solidaritat arribadas de pertot,quitament d’Occitània. Bensai es mercés a aquel sosten que Sastre pren de vam. read more....


Daŭre en malsat-striko, de antaŭ pli ol unu monato, por la edukado en la kataluna
esperantocat | diumenge, 8 de juny de 2014 | 19:11h
La instruisto Jaume Sastre estas en la plej delikata fazo de la protesto, sed la baleara registaro rifuzas dialogon
La pasintan sesan de majo, la mezlerneja instruisto Jaume Sastrekomencis malsat-strikon por protesti kontraŭ la malestimo de la aŭtonoma registraro de la Balearaj Insuloj al la petoj kaj bedaŭroj de la instruistaro. Pli ol unu monaton Sastre malsat-strikas por igi la balearan prezidanton, José Ramón Bauzá, akcepti dialogon kun la instruistoj, kiuj defendas instruadon publikan, kvalitan kaj katalunlingvan. La strikanto ricevis ĝis nun neniun komunikon de la registraro, sed tamen li ricevis multajn solidarajn esprimojn kiuj venas de la tuta mondo, ĉefe de la Kataluna Landaro. Laŭ li, tiu solidaro helpas daŭrigi la penon. Read more...


Mamosteyê katalan ji bo ziman dest bi greva birçîbûnê kir
Giravên Balearê ku rêvebiriya wê dixwaze hebûna katalanî di perwerdeyê de kêm bike, carekê din bi berxwedana ji bo ziman ket rojevê. Mamosteyê katalan Jaume Sastre yê li dibistaneke Mallorcayê bi armanca ku hikumeta herêmî di warê tetbîqkirina qanûna ziman a perwerdeyê de bi mamosteyan re hevdîtinê pêk bîne, di 8’ê Gulanê de dest bi greva birçîbûnê kir.
Mamoste Sastre ku endamê Meclîsa Mamosteyan a Giravên Balearê ye dixwaze bi çalakiya xwe balê bikişîne ser qanûna sêzimanêyê ku ji aliyê hikumeta spanyol ve hatibû qebûlkirin û niha ji aliyê hikumeta Herêma Xweser a Balearê ve dixwaze bê tetbîqkirin. Read more....



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