Catalan independentism
Encyclopedia
Political movement
A political movement is a social movement in the area of politics. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social group...
, derived from Catalan nationalism
Catalan nationalism
Catalan nationalism or Catalanism , is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or full independence of Catalonia....
, which supports the independence of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
or the so-called Catalan countries from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Catalan indepentism is based on the thesis that Catalonia is a nation, derived from its own history
History of Catalonia
The territory that now constitutes the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain, and the adjoining Catalan region of France, was first settled during the Middle Palaeolithic...
, language
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
and culture.
The beginnings of the movement can be traced back to the early 20th century, when some organisations and political parties started demanding full independence of Catalonia from Spain. During the following years, and mainly due to Franco's regime
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
oppression
Spanish State
Francoist Spain refers to a period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975 when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco....
against the Catalan people
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
and culture, the movement gained more sympathizers. More recently, there has been an increase in the number of followers and non-binding and unofficial referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s have been held in municipalities
Municipalities of Spain
The municipalities of Spain In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. municipi.*Galician or , sing. municipio/bisbarra.*Basque , sing. udalerria. are the basic level of Spanish local government...
around Catalonia.
The Estelada flag
Estelada
The Estelada is an unofficial flag typically waved by Catalan independentists to express their support for an either independent Catalonia or independent Països Catalans...
, in its blue and red versions, has become its main symbol.
History
Catalan Republic
The Catalan Republic also known as the Catalan State, is an unrecognized state claimed by the Catalan independentism or nationalism. The Catalan Republic has been proclaimed at least four times:* In 1641, by Pau Claris....
after the Reaper's War, and subsequently during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. However, in the modern sense, the first political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
which started defining themselves as independentists were created between the 1920s and the 1930s in Spanish Catalonia. The main separatist party created at this time was Estat Català
Estat Català
Estat Català is a historical pro-independence political party in Catalonia, Spain.Despite its role in the 20th and 21st centuries both in Catalan and Spanish politics, ever since Spain returned to democracy in the 1970s, the party has not managed to get any of its candidates elected, having...
and its branch called Bandera Negra. Estat Català evolved into the new party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
The Republican Left of Catalonia is a left wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France and Spain in the territories known among Catalan nationalists as Països Catalans...
, although some of its members refused it and remained faithful to the original Estat Català, now a minor party.
After the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, members of Estat Català
Estat Català
Estat Català is a historical pro-independence political party in Catalonia, Spain.Despite its role in the 20th and 21st centuries both in Catalan and Spanish politics, ever since Spain returned to democracy in the 1970s, the party has not managed to get any of its candidates elected, having...
and Nosaltres Sols founded the Front Nacional de Catalunya which became the main pro-independence party. However, one might argue that modern Catalan independentism was actually born in the 1960s with the Partit Socialista d'Alliberament Nacional (PSAN). Since then, the pro-independence movement has assumed a mostly left-wing political trend and has often shifted its focus from "independence for Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
" to "independence for the 'Catalan Countries
Catalan Countries
The Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...
'".
By the 1970s, the PSAN split into several factions, and many other groups appeared, including the armed organization Terra Lliure
Terra Lliure
Terra Lliure , sometimes referred to as TLL, was an armed Catalan nationalist and left-wing separatist organisation. Formed in 1978, with the goal of establishing an independent Marxist state in the so-called Catalan Countries, the group carried out dozens of attacks that left many people injured...
. In the 1980s, the Moviment de Defensa de la Terra (MDT) became the major pro-independence political group but this too became divided by the end of the decade. During the 1990s, existing political parties such as Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
The Republican Left of Catalonia is a left wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France and Spain in the territories known among Catalan nationalists as Països Catalans...
and the linguistic-national initiative Crida a la Solidaritat progressively evolved towards a more pro-independence stance.
Modern Independentism
The parties explicitly campaigning for independence are: Esquerra Republicana de CatalunyaEsquerra Republicana de Catalunya
The Republican Left of Catalonia is a left wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France and Spain in the territories known among Catalan nationalists as Països Catalans...
, Solidaritat Catalana per la Independència
Solidaritat Catalana per la Independència
Catalan Solidarity for Independence is a political party in Catalonia, founded in the summer of 2010 as an outcome of the grassroots social movement that initiated and organized the Catalonian independence referendums of 2009 and 2010...
and Reagrupament
Reagrupament
Reagrupament or Reagrupament Independentista is a political party in Catalonia, Spain, formally constituted on 3 October 2009. It is an umbrella group for various supporters of Catalan independence and the creation of a sovereign state for Catalonia. Currently, it has no representation in the...
; the former two are currently represented in the Catalan Parliament. They won 11,6% of the total Catalan votes in the Catalan Parliament
Parliament of Catalonia
The Parliament of Catalonia is the unicameral legislature of Catalonia. It is formed by 135 members , who are elected every four years in ordinary period, or extraordinarily upon dissolution and call of elections by the President of Catalonia, by universal suffrage in proportional lists with four...
in the Catalonian parliamentary election, 2010
Catalonian parliamentary election, 2010
Elections to fill 135 seats of the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain, were held on Sunday, 28 November 2010.-Electoral process:-Candidatures with current parliamentary representation:...
becoming the 3rd most important party and having the key for the government. They are present as well in another parliament in the Catalan countries
Catalan Countries
The Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...
, namely that of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
, where they have one member. They also have an elected member in the Consell de Mallorca which belongs to the autonomic government. Out of Catalan Countries
Catalan Countries
The Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...
they have one MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
and 3 members of the Spanish Parliament.
A number of members and voters of Convergència i Unió
Convergència i Unió
Convergence and Union is a centre-right electoral alliance in Catalonia, Spain. CiU is technically a federation of two constituent parties, the larger Democratic Convergence of Catalonia and its smaller counterpart, the Democratic Union of Catalonia . It is currently led by Artur Mas, who is the...
(CiU), nationalist federation of 2 parties with the majority of seats at the Catalan parliament (38.5% of the vote in the 2010 Catalan parliamentary election
Catalonian parliamentary election, 2010
Elections to fill 135 seats of the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain, were held on Sunday, 28 November 2010.-Electoral process:-Candidatures with current parliamentary representation:...
) also give, usually less explicit, support to independence. This tendency inside the party has presumably been growing since its leader proposed in 2007 the so called Casa Gran del Catalanisme project which, among other causes, includes the defense of self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
for Catalonia. Finally, the left wing party Iniciativa per Catalunya (7.5% of the vote in the 2010 Catalan parliamentary election
Catalonian parliamentary election, 2010
Elections to fill 135 seats of the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain, were held on Sunday, 28 November 2010.-Electoral process:-Candidatures with current parliamentary representation:...
) claims to give full support to self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
right and has several members explicitly supporting Catalan independence.
The political parties that explicitly reject Catalan independence and self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
rights are the Socialists' Party of Catalonia
Socialists' Party of Catalonia
The Socialists' Party of Catalonia is a social-democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain resulting from the merge of two parties PSC Reagrupament led by Josep Pallach i Carolà and PSC Comgres. It is the Catalan referent of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , and its Aranese section is...
, the People's Party of Catalonia
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
and Ciutadans which had 18,6%, 12,2% and 3,4% of the vote respectively in the 2010 Catalan parliamentary election
Catalonian parliamentary election, 2010
Elections to fill 135 seats of the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain, were held on Sunday, 28 November 2010.-Electoral process:-Candidatures with current parliamentary representation:...
. However, there is a significant fraction within the Socialist Party supporting the sovereignty of Catalonia within a federalized Spain.
Other independentist smaller parties or coalitions, without present representation in any parliament, are Estat Català
Estat Català
Estat Català is a historical pro-independence political party in Catalonia, Spain.Despite its role in the 20th and 21st centuries both in Catalan and Spanish politics, ever since Spain returned to democracy in the 1970s, the party has not managed to get any of its candidates elected, having...
, Unitat Nacional de Catalunya, Endavant, PSAN, MDT, CUP and Reagrupament
Reagrupament
Reagrupament or Reagrupament Independentista is a political party in Catalonia, Spain, formally constituted on 3 October 2009. It is an umbrella group for various supporters of Catalan independence and the creation of a sovereign state for Catalonia. Currently, it has no representation in the...
. There are also youth organizations such as Maulets
Maulets (politics)
Maulets is a youth political organisation that belongs to the Catalan fascist independentist movement. Its task is to mobilise the young fascists of Catalonia in order to achieve an independent and totalitarian nation....
or Coordinadora d'Assemblees de Joves de l'Esquerra Independentista, and the student unions SEPC and FNEC.
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
s Xavier Sala i Martín and Ramon Tremosa Balcells (elected deputy for CiU in the European parliament in the 2009 election), the lawyer and FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
president Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
or the jurist and former member of the Consejo General del Poder Judicial Alfons López Tena.
The think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
Cercle d'Estudis Sobiranistes, led by the jurists Alfons López Tena and Hèctor López Bofill was founded in 2007. Since then it has summoned a number of lawmakers, professors, businessmen, professionals, economists, journalists and intellectuals for the cause of Catalonia's independence.
In Spain, some considered this trend to have been stimulated as a reaction especially against the policy of the latter Spanish government
Politics of Spain
The politics of Spain take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the Head of State and the President of the Government is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is vested in the government...
s of the Partido Popular party, and its opposition to certain legislative reforms such as the new proposal of Statute of Catalonia.
Referendum on Catalonia's independence
Since 13 December 2009, non-official referendums on Catalan independence are being carried out in 167 towns, villages and 5 Comarcal councilComarcal council
The comarcal council , also somewhat misleadingly referred to as county council, is a local administration and government organ in the comarcas of some territories, such as the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon and Galicia.The comarcal council is normally constituted by...
covering more than 700,000 citizens with 15,000 volunteers, following the first one celebrated in Arenys de Munt
Arenys de Munt query on Catalonia independence
The Arenys de Munt query on Catalonia independence was a municipal non-binding query promoted by the Moviment Arenyenc per l'Autodeterminació held on Arenys de Munt on 13 September 2009...
in the 13th of September, 30 international observers have been accredited, like the MEPs
MEPS
MEPS can refer to:* Military Entrance Processing Station* Marine Ecology Progress Series, a scientific journal dealing mostly with research in the field of marine ecology.* Methode d’Evaluation des Produits Securitaire “bancaires”...
(Jill Evans from Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
, Frieda Brepoels from Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, François Alfonsi
François Alfonsi
François Alfonsi is a French politician, Member of the European Parliament elected in the 2009 European election for the South-East France constituency and Mayor of Osani....
from Corse
Corse
Corse may refer to:*Corse, the French name for Corsica, the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea*Corse , a European surname of multiple origins *Corse, a Shakespearean word for Corpse...
and Oriol Junqueras from Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
).
Studies on social support to independentism in Catalonia
Polls on the matter are troublesome as the question of independence is not on the daily political agenda, something which may be distorting replies from the interviewed. What is more, polls from different institutions vary greatly.The position of Catalans regarding the independence of either Catalonia or of the Catalan Countries must be studied taking into account an important fact, namely, that a huge number of Catalan citizens are of immigrant origin and that many of them feel little or no connection to the Catalan language or culture. It has been reckoned that the total population of Catalonia with no migrations would have grown from 2 million people in 1900 to just 2.4 million in 1980, merely 39% of the actual population of 6.1 million at that date. This population has continued growing and was over 7.4 million in 2009.
Polls
A few institutions have performed polls which also include questions on the independence issue in Catalonia. The following are the most prominent ones: (1) Center for Social Research (Centro de Investigaciones Sociales CIS) which belongs to the Spanish governmentSpanish Government
Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
, (2) Social and Political Sciencies Institute of Barcelona (Institut de Ciències Polítiques i Socials ICPS) belonging to the Autonomous University of Barcelona
Autonomous University of Barcelona
The Autonomous University of Barcelona is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain....
and Diputation of Barcelona, and (3) Center for Opinion Studies (Centre d'Estudis d'Opinió CEO). The CEO was depending on the Economy Department of the Generalitat of Catalonia until early 2011. Since then it has been placed under direct control of the Presidency of the Generalitat. It is now headed by Jordi Argelaguet i Argemí.
CIS performed a poll in Catalonia on 2001, including an explicit question on independence with the following results: 35.9% supporting it, 48.1% opposing, 13.3% indifferent, 2.8% did not reply.
ICPS performs annually an opinion poll since 1989, which always includes a section on independence.
The question of independence has not been polled so far in other Catalan-speaking territories outside of Catalonia, but anecdotal evidence (basically the total absence of the independentist question in those territories) suggests that there is no sizeable support for the idea of independence of the Catalan-speaking territories outside of Catalonia.
All in all, polls seem to indicate an ambivalent and far from universal feeling. For example, the 2007 ICPS poll indicated that, when asked about the independence of Catalonia, 51% of the population would be against it, 32% would favour it, while 17% do not have an opinion, but, in this same poll, when asked about the meaning of Spain, only 5% of the interviewed identified with the downright independentist option ("Spain is an alien State of which my country is not a part").
The results are in the following table:
| Year | Support (%) | Against (%) | Indifferent (%) | Do not reply (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 35 | 50 | 11 | 4 |
| 1992 | 31 | 53 | 11 | 5 |
| 1993 | 37 | 50 | 9 | 5 |
| 1994 | 35 | 49 | 14 | 3 |
| 1995 | 36 | 52 | 10 | 3 |
| 1996 | 29 | 56 | 11 | 4 |
| 1997 | 32 | 52 | 11 | 5 |
| 1998 | 32 | 55 | 10 | 3 |
| 1999 | 32 | 55 | 10 | 3 |
| 2000 | 32 | 53 | 13 | 3 |
| 2001 | 33 | 55 | 11 | 1 |
| 2002 | 34 | 52 | 12 | 1 |
| 2003* | 43 | 43 | 12 | 1 |
| 2004* | 39 | 44 | 13 | 3 |
| 2005 | 36 | 44 | 15 | 6 |
| 2006 | 33 | 48 | 17 | 2 |
| 2007 | 31.7 | 51.3 | 14.1 | 2.9 |
| 2011 | 41.4 | 22.9 | 26.5 | 9.2 |
- On 2003 and 2004 a different methodology was used (telephonic instead of door-to-door interview).
CEO performs regular polls studying political opinion of Catalan citizens. The following table contains the answers to the question "Which kind of political entity should Catalonia be with respect to Spain?":
| Date | Independent state (%) | Confederal (%) | Keep it as it is (%) | Spanish region (%) | Do not know (%) | Do not reply (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2005 | 13.6 | 31.3 | 40.8 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 1.1 |
| November 2005 | 12.9 | 35.8 | 37.6 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 1.2 |
| March 2006 | 13.9 | 33.4 | 38.2 | 8.1 | 5.1 | 1.2 |
| July 2006 | 14.9 | 34.1 | 37.3 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 0.7 |
| October 2006 | 14.0 | 32.9 | 38.9 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 0.8 |
| November 2006 | 15.9 | 32.8 | 40.0 | 6.8 | 3.7 | 0.8 |
| March 2007 | 14.5 | 35.3 | 37.0 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 2.2 |
| July 2007 | 16.9 | 34.0 | 37.3 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 1.0 |
| October 2007 | 18.5 | 34.2 | 35.0 | 4.7 | 6.0 | 1.5 |
| December 2007 | 17.3 | 33.8 | 37.8 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
| January 2008 | 19.4 | 36.4 | 34.8 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| May 2008 | 17.6 | 33.4 | 38.9 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 0.7 |
| July 2008 | 16.1 | 34.7 | 37.0 | 6.1 | 5.2 | 0.9 |
| November 2008 | 17.4 | 31.8 | 38.3 | 7.1 | 4.2 | 1.2 |
| February 2009 | 16.1 | 35.2 | 38.6 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 2.0 |
| May 2009 | 20.9 | 35.0 | 34.9 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 1.7 |
| July 2009 | 19.0 | 32.2 | 36.8 | 6.2 | 4.2 | 1.6 |
| December 2009 | 21.6 | 29.9 | 36.9 | 5.9 | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| 2010 1st series | 19.4 | 29.5 | 38.2 | 6.9 | 4.4 | 1.6 |
| 2010 2nd series | 21.5 | 31.2 | 35.2 | 7.3 | 4.0 | 0.7 |
| 2010 3rd series | 24.3 | 31.0 | 33.3 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 1.0 |
| 2010 4th series | 25.2 | 30.9 | 34.7 | 5.9 | 2.7 | 0.7 |
| 2011 1st series | 24.5 | 31.9 | 33.2 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 1.3 |
| 2011 2nd series | 25.5 | 33.0 | 31.8 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 0.8 |
| 2011 3rd series | 28.2 | 30.4 | 30.3 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 1.5 |
- Also, since the second quarter of 2011, CEO is asking about the behaviour in an independence referendum:
Date In favor (%) Against (%) Abstain (%) Other (%) Do not know (%) Do not reply (%) 2011 2nd series 42.9 28.2 23.3 0.5 4.4 0.8 2011 3rd series 45.4 24.7 23.8 0.6 4.6 1.0
- The Catalan newspapers El Periódico and La Vanguardia have been publishing their own surveys in recent times.
La Vanguardia
| Date | Yes (%) | No (%) | Other (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/11/09 | 35 | 46 | 19 |
| 15/03/10 | 36 | 44 | 20 |
| 19/05/10 | 37 | 41 | 22 |
| 18/07/10 | 47 | 36 | 17 |
| 07/09/10 | 40 | 45 | 15 |
| 11/04/11 | 34 | 30 | 35 |
El Periódico
| Date | Yes (%) | No (%) | Other (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2007 | 33,9 | 43,9 | 22,3 |
| December 2009 | 39,0 | 40,6 | 20,4 |
| June 2010 | 48,1 | 35,3 | 16,6 |
- The FUNDACC Government Association conducted a survey over 5084 people that threw the following result.
Date Yes (%) No (%) Other (%) April 2011 34 30 36
Public figures supporting Catalan independence
- Víctor Alexandre, writer
- Miquel CalçadaMiquel Calçadathumb|Miquel Calçada in May 2009Miquel Calçada is a Catalan journalist and communicating entrepreneur.-Career:...
, journalist and reporter - José CarrerasJosé CarrerasJosep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...
, tenor singer - Àngel Colom, politician, founder of the Independence PartyPartit per la IndependènciaPartit per la Independència was a short lived political party in Catalonia of the 1990s that campaigned for independence for Catalonia from Spain. It was created by Àngel Colom and Pilar Rahola in 1996 as a schism from Republican Left of Catalonia, another independentist party...
, currently member of the Democratic Convergence of CataloniaDemocratic Convergence of CataloniaThe Democratic Convergence of Catalonia is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. Together with Democratic Union of Catalonia, it forms part of the Convergence and Union coalition. It is affiliated with the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party and with the Liberal International... - Joan LaportaJoan LaportaJoan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
, former president of the Barcelona Football Club, and chairman of the Catalan Solidarity for Independence - Alfons López Tena, jurist, former member of the General Council of the Judicial Power of SpainGeneral Council of the Judicial Power of SpainThe General Council of the Judiciary is the constitutional body that governs all the Judiciary of Spain, such as courts, and judges, as it is established by the Spanish Constitution of 1978, article 122 and developed by the Organic Law 6/1985 of the Judiciary Power...
- Hèctor López Bofill, political scientist and poet
- Joel JoanJoel JoanJoel Joan is a Spanish Catalan actor, screenwriter and director.He studied drama at the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona. He created the theatre company Kràmpack in 1994 and he has been the administrator of Arriska Films since 2000....
, actor - Oriol Junqueras, historian and political activist
- Justo Molinero, Radio host
- Quim MonzóQuim Monzóthumb|Quim MonzóQuim Monzó , is a contemporary Catalan writer of novels, short stories and discursive prose, mostly in Catalan. In the early 1970s, Monzó reported from Vietnam, Cambodia, Northern Ireland and East Africa for the Barcelona newspaper Tele/eXprés...
, short story writer - Manuel de PedroloManuel de PedroloManuel de Pedrolo i Molina was a Catalan author of novels, short stories, poetry and plays. He's mostly known for his sci-fi novel Second origin typescript.-Mini-biography:...
, writer - Felip Puig, politician (Democratic Convergence of CataloniaDemocratic Convergence of CataloniaThe Democratic Convergence of Catalonia is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. Together with Democratic Union of Catalonia, it forms part of the Convergence and Union coalition. It is affiliated with the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party and with the Liberal International...
) - Jordi Pujol i SoleyJordi Pujol i SoleyJordi Pujol i Soley is a Catalan politician who was the leader of the party Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya from 1974 to 2003, and President of the Generalitat de Catalunya from 1980 to 2003.-Early life:...
, former president of the Generalitat de CatalunyaGeneralitat de CatalunyaThe Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia.... - Oriol Pujol i Ferrusola, politician (Democratic Convergence of CataloniaDemocratic Convergence of CataloniaThe Democratic Convergence of Catalonia is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. Together with Democratic Union of Catalonia, it forms part of the Convergence and Union coalition. It is affiliated with the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party and with the Liberal International...
) - Pilar RaholaPilar RaholaPilar Rahola i Martínez is a Catalan journalist, writer, and former politician and MP.Rahola studied Spanish and Catalan Philology at the Universitat de Barcelona. She has published several books in Spanish and Catalan, and she is a columnist at La Vanguardia in Spain; La Nación in Argentina; ...
, journalist and author, co-founder of the Independence PartyPartit per la IndependènciaPartit per la Independència was a short lived political party in Catalonia of the 1990s that campaigned for independence for Catalonia from Spain. It was created by Àngel Colom and Pilar Rahola in 1996 as a schism from Republican Left of Catalonia, another independentist party... - Jordi Rebellón, actor
- Francesc Ribera i Toneu, lead singer of the group BramsBrams (band)-Discography:* Amb el Rock a la Faixa * Ni un Pas Enrera * La Diplomàcia de la Rebel·lia * Cal Seguir Lluitant * Al Liceu * Nena de Nicaragua * Tot és Possible...
- Xavier Rubert de Ventós, philosopher
- Xavier Sala-i-MartinXavier Sala-i-MartinXavier Sala-i-Martin is a professor of economics at Columbia University.Sala-i-Martin earned his degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 1985 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1990, both in economics...
, economist - Carles Solà i FerrandoCarles Solà i FerrandoCarles Solà was born in Xàtiva, Valencia Province on 1 January 1945.He awarded a PhD degree in Chemistry at the UV, he has carried out research in Biochemical Engineering with 130 publications, having tutored 22 doctoral theses and directed various research projects. He was Rector of the UAB...
, chemist - Joan Solà, philologist
- Toni Strubell i TruetaToni Strubell i TruetaToni Strubell i Trueta is a Catalan linguist, son of Michael B. Strubell and Amèlia Trueta and brother of Miquel Strubell i Trueta...
, linguist - Josep-Maria Terricabras, philosopher
- Matthew Tree, British-born Catalan writer
- Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, economist
- Lluís Maria Xirinacs i Damians, author
- Thierry HenryThierry HenryThierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, football player and former striker of Barcelona Football Club
See also
- List of active autonomist and secessionist movements
- Catalan RepublicCatalan RepublicThe Catalan Republic also known as the Catalan State, is an unrecognized state claimed by the Catalan independentism or nationalism. The Catalan Republic has been proclaimed at least four times:* In 1641, by Pau Claris....
- Catalan CountriesCatalan CountriesThe Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...
- Catalan nationalismCatalan nationalismCatalan nationalism or Catalanism , is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or full independence of Catalonia....
- History of CataloniaHistory of CataloniaThe territory that now constitutes the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain, and the adjoining Catalan region of France, was first settled during the Middle Palaeolithic...
- Catalan languageCatalan languageCatalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
- Anti-CatalanismAnti-CatalanismAnti-Catalanism is the collective name given to various political attitudes, nowadays particularly in Spain. Hence, it can refer to a reaction against Catalan nationalism or, particularly, Catalan independentism...
- Racó Català web portalWeb portalA web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....
related to Catalan separatism. - Arenys de Munt query on Catalonia independenceArenys de Munt query on Catalonia independenceThe Arenys de Munt query on Catalonia independence was a municipal non-binding query promoted by the Moviment Arenyenc per l'Autodeterminació held on Arenys de Munt on 13 September 2009...
- Query on Catalonia independence
- La nacionalitat catalanaLa nacionalitat catalanaLa nacionalitat catalana is a book and political manifesto written by the Conservative politician Enric Prat de la Riba in 1906.The book, focusing on the will for the restoration of self-government, is one of the basis of Noucentisme and modern political catalanism and a philosophical...
External links
- A video based on an article about Catalonia's independence by professor Xavier Sala-i-Martin from Columbia University.
- Party Urging More Autonomy From Spain Seems to Win in Catalonia Article on New York Times, November 2, 2006
- Courage in Catalonia Article on New York Times, June 22, 2006
- Voters in Catalonia Approve A Plan for Greater Autonomy Article on New York Times, June 19, 2006
- Spain Moves On Law to Give Broad Powers To Catalonia Article on New York Times, March 31, 2006.
- History of Catalan independentism. Dossier of the Catalan magazine El TempsEl TempsEl Temps is a weekly newsmagazine, published in Valencia by Edicions del País Valencià since 1984. It is distributed throughout the whole Països Catalans. Eliseu Climent is its publisher and instigator...
. - Estatpropi.Cat, Webpage to count and to show the support to create an own state for the Catalan Countries
- Spain's secret conflict (Documentary)