Catalonia’s pro-independence parties now have the chance to assemble a parliamentary majority, but they’ll have to overcome their own differences first.
Catalans have voted for independence in a referendum that holds no official sway but has enormous significance. Now Catalonia needs to decide where to turn next. The referendum, held on November 9, was…
The sense of a distinct identity is what drives Catalans to continue pushing for independence despite the obstacles.
Aleksandra Hadzelek
On the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, another milestone in European history took place: the Catalan vote on independence. Downgraded from an official referendum – which would be illegal…
Catalonia seems to have finally pardoned Salvador Dalí. Its gesture? To name a public square after the infamous surrealist. Spain has recently been paying considerable attention to the names of its streets…
Divided we fall: a Catalonian independence rally.
Ivan McClellan via Wikimedia Commons
After decades of deepening globalisation and interconnection, movements championing national identity and power are sweeping the globe. Breakaway regions, independence referendums, and campaigns for stronger…
Spain has unfinished business thanks to an ambiguous settlement.
Ivan McClellan
As the UK heads towards its next phase of devolution, it should look to Spain for an example of how to do it badly. In its attempt to please everyone as it drew up its 1978 constitution, Spain ended up…
On Catalonia’s national day, which they call “Diada”, hundreds of thousands of Catalans formed a huge “V” in the streets of Barcelona to demand a referendum on independence. On Thursday, no doubt emboldened…
Independence supporters in Bilbao form a ‘V’ for victory in a November 9 referendum.
EPA/Alfredo Adlia
For three years in a row, Catalans have taken to the streets on September 11, Catalonia’s national day (the Diada). The 2012 rally for independence gathered an estimated 1.5 million people in Barcelona…
The Catalans want an independence referendum in November.
Liz Castro
Welcome to Breaking Nations, a series of articles that examines independence movements across the globe ahead of the Scottish referendum in September. To begin, Dani Cetrà gives us the view from Catalonia…
The Veneto region, with its picturesque capital Venice, has voted in a referendum for independence from Italy.
Matthew Gast/Flickr
Just as Venice risks disappearing beneath its waters, it is making a remarkable political reappearance. The Venetian Republic existed for more than 1000 years until it came to an end at the hands of Napoleon…
In a show of solidarity, Catalans formed a 400km human chain to call for independence. How realistic are their chances of success?
EPA/Toni Albir
An extraordinary event took place in Catalonia yesterday. Some 1.6 million people formed a human chain that covered the full stretch of the Catalan territory from north to south (400km), in a symbolic…