If the protests are sustained or violent, they may cast a shadow over Spain’s upcoming general election
“THE WHOLE of one’s life is a dream, and dreams are nothing but dreams.” So says Prince Sigismondo in a play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, the great dramatist of Spain’s Golden Age, which is currently being revived in Madrid. That was the question before Spain’s Supreme Court in the long-running trial of a dozen Catalan separatist leaders for their role in the illegal referendum and declaration of independence in October 2017.
Many abroad, too, may see such long jail terms as harsh. The defendants argued that they were merely carrying out a democratic mandate to seek a referendum on independence. Their supporters say they are “political prisoners” who faced a “political trial”. The International Commission of Jurists, a lobby group, said the convictions for sedition were “disproportionate” and restricted rights to expression, assembly and association.
In their unanimous verdict, the seven judges of the Supreme Court addressed not just their actions but also the political basis on which they rested them. Far from being unique, Spain’s constitutional protection of the nation’s territorial unity is the European norm, they noted, “No European constitution exists that recognises ‘the right to decide’.” Especially given the chaos triggered by the Brexit referendum, no European national government looks kindly on the separatists’ demands.
As for Catalan nationalism, it is divided and losing steam, albeit very slowly. A survey in June and July by the Catalan government’s own pollster, the CEO, found support for independence at 44% . A radical fringe is flirting with violence: last month the Civil Guard arrested nine people in Catalonia found with bomb-making equipment. Many nationalists will think the sentences unduly harsh. But the CEO poll found only 9% now support the unilateral road pursued by the defendants in 2017.
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