Catalan Rally

From the BBC:

"Catalan independence rally: Thousands gather in Barcelona"

Thousands of Catalans are thronging the streets of Barcelona to mark their national day - the "Diada" - and show support for an independence referendum. Catalonia's pro-independence government plans to hold the referendum on 1 October, defying Spain which deems it illegal. Catalonia has passed a law to secede from Spain if the vote is Yes. Opinion polls suggest the vote, if it takes place, will be very close. With their own language and customs, Catalans already have much autonomy. But there is a widespread feeling in the region - one of Spain's richest - that too much of its tax revenue goes to Madrid.   Spain's economic woes since the 2008 financial crisis - including chronic unemployment - have fuelled the pro-independence mood in Catalonia.  In recent days Spain's Guardia Civil police have raided several Catalan printing shops suspected of preparing material for the referendum. The crowd in central Barcelona is expected to swell to as many as 500,000, as Catalans of all ages descend on the city. Nearly 2,000 buses were chartered to bring people to the rally. The crowd - many sporting T-shirts in the national colours - is to form a giant cross, the regional daily La Vanguardia reports. The 11 September Diada marks the fall of Barcelona in the War of Spanish Succession in 1714 - a defeat for Catalan forces.  Last week Spain's Constitutional Court placed a legal block on the independence referendum. A majority of Catalans want the vote to go ahead, polls suggest, to settle the thorny issue of independence. The left-wing mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, cautiously backs the referendum, but has asked the Catalan parliament for guarantees to make the vote as inclusive as possible.  In November 2014, Catalonia held an unofficial "consultation" on independence - and some 80% of those who voted backed it. But turnout then was relatively low and the vote was non-binding, as the Constitutional Court had ruled it illegal.

^ I've written about this before. If the majority of registered voters in Catalonia vote to stay within Spain or vote to leave Spain then both the Spanish and Catalan Governments should respect that decision. If there is low voter turn-out that's another story. Canada allowed Quebec to hold  two independence votes and they were both defeated and the United Kingdom allowed Scotland to hold an independence vote and it was defeated, For Spain to out-right refuse any vote just adds fuel for independence. Canada and the UK showed their loyalty, support and why staying together was a good idea and it worked. Spain is just saying that what the Catalans want doesn't matter. On a side note I feel the same about this with any country. If a state/territory within the US wanted its independence and the majority of registered voters in that state/territory voted for independence than it should be given by the US Government. A country needs to show its people that they are there for them and not the other way around. When they stop doing that you get these kinds of votes and then it's up to that country to prove they will be better together  - threatening lawsuits and arrests does the opposite of bringing the country together. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41229486