If you are following the news this post will be quite timely.  I am here in Giorna for this historical moment of the Catalonian people celebrating a significant step in the quest for independence from Spain. 

A disclaimer; I knew very little about this situation before today and I am still not comfortable to say I understand enough to have an educated opinion. What I do know is the Catalonian people I’ve met are passionate about this cause and the outpouring of nationalism and independence was incredible. 

Here is what I gleaned in my conversations with Chave and Anna today. Remember this is all in my limited Spanish, with a lot said in Catalan and some broken english! 

This goes back a long time since the civil war in Spain. The Catalonians suffered badly after the war and were not treated well. This has not been forgotten. In more recent times Catalonians want economic independence from the rest of Spain. They are quite strong economically and experience higher taxes and get less in return for what they give to the state. They have rich customs, culture and language which they want to continue to preserve. There is a sense that there are too many laws/regulations on things and they want more control on how they do things in Catalonia. 

The Catalonians I met feel that as a group they are misrepresented to the rest of Spain. They are portrayed as violent or barbaric people. They were very upset about how the referendum has been reported. Catalan people are peaceful and “tranquilo” in their support for the reform yet the media only shows the instances where things were violent. This morning we went to a large public meditation before going to the demonstrations. What I saw today was peaceful, respectful and full of energy.

I have not been to a political rally in my own country, so I don’t have experience in this arena. Truth is, I was questioning my decision to visit Anna after reading about the situation with the referendum. It’s a tense time for Spain, and in Girona you would think they won the world cup! It was incredible; people singing, cheering, clapping and wearing the Catalonian flag. We marched from one end of the city to the other with the streets packed! It was truly a celebration.

This post has no political leaning. It is my experience here in Girona at this significant moment. Political landscapes are complex. Any time large groups of people with diverse backgrounds and different priorities live together, share land and laws, it gets complicated. My very simple mind says “It should be easier than this” but so far, here in Spain and certainly for my country, the United States, that hasn’t been true. Witnessing todays events definately has my mental wheels turning.