Reactions to the 2017 Catalan independence referendum
As a result of the advisory 2017 Catalan independence referendum, reactions came from a multitude of avenues, including the domestic central state and other official bodies, as well as international commentary.
The CCOO union called for a general strike on 3 October "to condemn the violence employed by security forces of the state to stop the referendum".
[8][9][10] In a televised statement, King Felipe VI said the referendum's organisers had jeopardised national stability "with their decisions, they have systematically undermined the rules approved legally and legitimately, showing an unacceptable disloyalty towards the powers of the state—a state that represents Catalan interests.
"[12] PSOE's General Secretary Pedro Sánchez said that the vote "has perverted the concept of democracy" and urged central government to begin negotiations with the regional Catalan leaders.
[17][18] In successive days, La Caixa moved to Valencia[19] and other enterprises left Catalonia, many of them helped by a decree of the Spanish government for easing the relocation of their registration.
[21] As of 18 October, this number increased to 805, including companies like Codorníu Winery, established in 1551, which moved to La Rioja,[22] or the airline Volotea, that relocated their headquarters in Asturias.
[23] FC Barcelona played their weekend La Liga match against Las Palmas behind closed doors, partially due to safety purposes, as well as in protest.
During Spain national football team's training session on 2 October 2017, Piqué was the target of insults by many Spanish fans, due to his comments after Barcelona's 3–0 win over Las Palmas.
We trust the leadership of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to manage this difficult process in full respect of the Spanish Constitution and of the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined therein.
President Donald Tusk later announced on Twitter that he had spoken with Rajoy and had called for a bid to find ways "to avoid further escalation and use of force.
The agency said the "ratcheting-up of tensions has negative credit implications" that could be worsened if Catalonia's regional government declares independence after claiming victory in the referendum.
It said that the "escalation" between Barcelona and Madrid "may damage the coordination and communication between the two governments, which is essential to Catalonia's ability to service its debt on time and in full."
"[103] Jasper Lawler, head of research at London Capital Group, said: "The resolve of regional officials in Catalonia to announce independence from Spain has caught markets off guard.
"[103] President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain Christopher Dottie said that U.K. companies were monitoring events closely because they did not want to embark on new projects without knowing what the future held.
[104] The Guardian wrote: Rajoy's subsequent choice to employ physical force to impose his will on civilians exercising a basic democratic right carried a chill echo of Spain's past and a dire warning for the future.
Rajoy's actions may have ensured, on the contrary, that the campaign enters a new, more radical phase, potentially giving rise to ongoing clashes, reciprocal violence, and copycat protests elsewhere, for example among the left-behind population of economically deprived Galicia.
In Spain's Basque country, where Eta separatists waged a decades-long terror campaign that killed more than 800 people and injured thousands, the dream of independence is on ice – but not forgotten.
The danger is that a new generation of younger Basques who feel ignored by Madrid, and repelled by what happened in Barcelona, may be tempted to revisit Eta's unilateral 2010 ceasefire and its subsequent disarmament.
BBC Diplomatic Correspondent James Landale asked: "How could an EU that opposed independence for, say, the Kurds or Crimea suddenly decide to welcome it for the Catalans?
"[92] Deutsche Welle drew parallels between Catalonia and European separatist movements in the Basque country, Scotland, Flanders, Padania, South Tyrol, and Corsica.
It should also advise that all concerned parties put human rights, accountability and the protection of civilians at the center of political negotiations and peace processes.
"[108] The Africa Confidential wrote: "Religion, poverty and oil exacerbate ethnic and tribal divisions in Nigeria, which is why people in its southern region once known as the self-declared Republic of Biafra have a keen eye on Catalonian secessionists."
Some officials speculate about the risks of militants from the Delta and the south-east teaming up with campaigners from Anglophone south-west Cameroon who are demanding an independent state, known as Ambazonia.
"[109] On 2 September, following violent police clashes, co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales wrote on Twitter: "Without any reservations I condemn the violence against peaceful voters in the Catalan referendum.
"[111] Aleksei Martynov, a Russian political commentator, argued in an opinion piece for Izvestia that the EU was rattled by the Brexit referendum and was now using "all possible means" to hold the bloc together.
"Emerging from the stupor of animal fear, the Euro-bureaucrats have cursed the very word 'referendum' and today are ready, having transcended their own rhetorical principles, to repressively defend the European Union in its current form through all possible means, but by the hands of national governments, today's events in Spanish Catalonia in any case mark the end of European political romanticism.
