Twelve Not So Angry Men

Today, the trial begins in Madrid of twelve not so angry men; to be precise, nine men and three women. Somewhat angry, of course... The defendants have been charged with some of the most serious offences in the Spanish legal code: rebellion, misappropriation of public funds and civil disobedience, and have already spent many months in prison. 'Rebellion' and 'civic disobedience', because in 2017 they pushed ahead with the referendum on whether Catalonia should remain a part of the Kingdom of Spain; 'misappropriation' because they used public funds to organise the vote. 'Rebellion', in this legal context, involves that sort of anger which expresses itself in violence, but we are dealing here with seasoned politicians who, if anything, witnessed the aggression of the Spanish police who were heavy handed when sent in to suppress the separatist rallies.Writing in The Guardian, Carles Puigdemont, the former President of Catalonia, who is now in self-imposed exile in Belgium to avoid arrest, claims that:

"Prosecuting these peaceful advocates of the ballot box marks yet more of the authoritarianism we saw on referendum day."

                               Firefighters protecting the people from the Spanish police in October 2017 (Photo: Reuters)

He points out that similar referendums were held in Scotland, Quebec and New Caledonia, with anything but oppression, accompanying them. In Catalonia, of the 43% who voted, 92% backed independence.

Separatism is not, however, a clear cut issue and there are so many considerations that need to be taken, with each claim having its own particularities. Currently, there are 43 members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, which includes Catalonia, Tibet, Taiwan, Somaliland and Abkhazia. The desire for independence does not always spring from genuine cultural or legitimate differences. The Northern League, the party of Matteo Salvini, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, for instance, wanted northern Italy to break away from the south out of a sense of superiority and to rid itself of the less economically developed south: all in perfect alignment with Salvini's racism and far right populism. So, what does constitute legitimate separatist movements? An internationally approved list could cause havoc, as opportunists would jump on the bandwagon for their own  gains, so it would have to be drafted very carefully. Nevertheless, criteria should exist, and these should be revised as situations change. In the next few days, I will propose some criteria and would love to receive ideas in the meantime.