Catalan separatists take solace from Brexit campaign
Regional president Carles Puigdemont supportive of EU, but realises British exit would help their cause
- In an interview with the Guardian, Puigdemont said that they have suffered from "campaigns of fear"
- Catalan independence is equally as unpopular as Brexit among international leaders
The political ramifications of a British exit from the European Union could be vast, and no more so than in the north-east of Spain where Catalan separatists are fighting for independence for their region.
A lot of the rhetoric carries similar sounds, with aspects involving identity, sovereignty and a sense of not reaping what you sow in terms of financial rewards.
In an interview with The Guardian, new regional president Carles Puigdemont has said that many of the same factors are at play when considering the issues of Brexit and Catalan independence.
"We have also suffered campaigns of fear," said Puigdemont, the former mayor of Girona. "I remember when the banks started issuing their opinions. They treated us as if we were not grown-ups and said a whole lot of lies."
They treated us as if we were not grown-ups and said a whole lot of lies
Puigdemont believes that Brexit would not necessarily destroy the European Union, perhaps even allowing the EU to grow stronger.
"The EU will make an extraordinary statement of political realism, and an admirable, Darwinian ability to adapt," said the 53-year-old.
The Spanish government views Catalan independence as a disaster. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has consistently blocked any calls for a referendum during his four years of premiership, but attitudes in Madrid could change with the upcoming repeated elections on 26th June, where Spaniards will go to the polls for the second time after a stalemate in December.
Puigdemont spoke about the rising tide of separatism, saying that "in 2012 there were just 14 deputies elected on a separatist ticket in the Catalan parliament, now we have a majority."
Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has consistently blocked any calls for a referendum during his four years of premiership
The regional president does not believe the warning that the region would be immediately expelled from the EU in case of independence and he is working towards the plans for the regional parliament to put the preparations in place. That may be difficult however considering the fractious nature of the parliament, and given that Puigdemont was shoehorned in as a last minute president.
In his Guardian interview, his point was made clear. "What is more important, what the members of a politicised tribunal say, or what the citizens vote for? For me it is clear."