2012-10-19

A detailed chronology, in progress

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  • September 11th
    • CATALONIA During National Day of Catalonia, 1.6 million people demonstration in Barcelona under the slogan "Catalonia, next European state". It was organized by Catalan National Assembly, a political, non-partisan movement. The President of the Catalan Parliament met with representatives from the Catalan National Assembly, who called for the process leading to secession from Spain to be started.
    • SPAIN Spanish televisions hide the march between secondary news.
  • September 12th
    • EUROPE Le Monde wonders why Spanish mass media hid the amazing march in Barcelona.
  • September 13th
    • CATALONIA Artur Mas, president of center-right Catalan Government, changes his ordinary moderate tone in a lecture in Madrid: "We the people of Catalonia need a state".
  • September 14th
    • CATALONIA Mas meets with representative members of Catalan National Assembly: "Independence is moving faster".
  • September 16th 
    • CATALONIA Public poll: 51% of Catalan population say yes to independence; 19% say no; 76% support a free referendum.
    • SPAIN Spanish socialists (PSOE: main center-left party) are against independence. Catalan socialists (PSC-PSOE) back them.
  • September 17th
  • September 18th
    • EUROPE Catalan pro-independence parties ask European Commission which are the next steps Catalonia has to take to become a new European state
    • CATALONIA Two more medium municipalities, Vic and Tortosa, declare themselves independent territory.
    • SPAIN King Juan Carlos I positions himself against independence. A kind of Iberian Commonwealth becomes impossible.
    • SPAIN Spanish vice president argues against a tax agreement, against any reform and against independence
  • September 19th
    • WORLD The United States ambassador says debate about independence is admirable. He also values peaceful and democratic demonstration on September 11th
    • SPAIN The Spanish minister of Justice says an independent Catalonia would be excluded from European Union forever
  • September 20th
  • September 21th
    • CATALONIA Municipalities of Vic and Balaguer will only raise Catalan flag from now on
  • September 22th
  • September 24th
    • SPAIN A Spanish veteran association calls Army to attack Catalonia
  • September 25th
    • CATALONIA President Mas calls for early elections on November 25th
    • CATALONIA Catalan National Assembly considers Mas's speech at Parliament as a clear pro-independence speech
    • CATALONIA Catalan priests say they are in favor of independence
    • SPAIN Another Spanish military association says that soldiers must not have political ideas 
  • September 26th
    • CATALONIA Mas, in Parliament: "I would like Catalonia to have the same power as any European state"
  • September 27th 
  • September 28th
  • September 30th
    • CATALONIA A member of universities conference says that Catalan universities will improve with independence
    • CATALONIA Catalan center-left leader Pere Navarro wins center-left conference. He says he is against independence.
    • EUROPE Viviane Reding, vice president of European Comission, says, in an interview, that an independent Catalonia would not be automatically excluded from European Union
  • October 1st
  • October 2nd
    • SPAIN Autonomous presidents conference in Madrid: Artur Mas refuses to be interviewed to preserve the unity of Spanish position about debt crisis
    • WORLD Ricard Gonzalez and Jaume Clotet (New York Times): "Spanish Prisoners"
  • October 3rd
    • CATALONIA The Catalan minister of Economy, Andreu Mas-Collell, explains to main entrepreneurs that Catalonia needs a referendum very soon
    • EUROPE The president of European Parliament rejects the vice president Vidal-Quadras's ideas: the values of European Union are freedom of speech and the right of people to demonstrate peacefully. He received 40.000 complains in 3 days.
  • October 4th
    • SPAIN Spanish Bishops Conference is against independence (17 yes, 4 abstentions, probably from Catalan bishops)
  • October 5th
    • CATALONIA Catalan bishops publish a note on the right to support any political option peacefully
    • CATALONIA "Building a New State" Conference, in Barcelona (video 3' 32'' Daniel Turp, Juan José Ibatrretxe, subtitled in English) and Stephen Tierney
    • EUROPE Report from BBC (6' 11''): "Will Catalonia say adios to Spain?"
  • October 6th
  • October 7th
  • October 8th
  • October 9th
    • CATALONIA Fundació Catalunya Estat, a Catalan think tank, publishes a clear and comprehensive relation of questions and answers about independence
    • SPAIN Congress votes against a Catalan referendum: 276 no, 42 yes.
  • October 10th
  • October 11th
    • CATALONIA 53% of members of an important industrial association say yes to independence
    • CATALONIA PSC-PSOE, left-center main party in Catalonia, splits. Some former ministers and main politicians leave the party and support Catalonia's right of self determination
    • CATALONIA A manifesto for progressive and federalist politics is published. The document attacks Artur Mas and Spanish conservatives. It prefers trying to reform Constitution rather than independence
    • CATALONIA Just before Spanish national day, a big independentist Catalan flag is made of thousands of kindles, in Vic's Central Square (video, 2' 12'': "Encén la flama", "Kindle the Flame")
    • SPAIN The Spanish minister of Education says he want to "hispanize" Catalan pupils
    • SPAIN Supreme Court allows civil servants in Catalan municipalities to ignore Catalan language
  • October 12th
  • October 13th
  • October 15th
  • October 16th
  • October 17th
    • EUROPE Artur Mas sends a letter to Cameron and a letter to Salmond in order to thank them for their extraordinary example to the world 
    • EUROPE Artur Mas presents Photonic Science Institute to consuls in Barcelona
  • October 18th
  • October 19th
  • October 21th
    • SPAIN Sunday, prime time: first full interview with Artur Mas in a Spanish TV since September 11th, by awarded journalist Jordi Évole, achieves a 13,7% share, a great hit for Évole's program Salvados (video, in Spanish: 51').
  • October 22th
    • EUROPE Four members of European Parlament send a letter to vice president Viviane Reding. They ask for avoiding in public debate any military threat as a means of resolving the political conflict. 
    • EUROPE European Commission’s vice-president, Joaquín Almunia, a fierce opponent of Catalan independence, cautions against making “categorical” claims an independent Scotland or Catalonia would not be a member of the EU. 
  • October 23th
    • EUROPE At the Strasbourg plenary, Dutch Member of European Parliament (MEP) Derk J. Eppink, vice-chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, asks vice president Vidal-Quadras to apologize and resign. "Let the Catalonians decide their own future. That is the way: not the army, democracy!" (video 3' 26''). In response to a Spanish MEP, he makes the point that he is not interferring internal affairs of Spain but he does not approve the suggestion that the Army should be send to a province.
  • October 24th
  • October 25th
    • CATALONIA Public poll: 57% of Catalan population say yes to independence; 35% say no.
    • CATALONIA 40 professional associations support publicly independence process (Economists, Architects, Doctors, Engineers, Nurses, Veterinary, Geologists, Dentists, Journalists...).
    • EUROPE An interview with Ramon Tremosa, member of European Parliament.
  • October 26th
    • CATALONIA Spanish Navy forces fish boats in Roses to return to port because they did not use Spanish flag.
    • EUROPE Alex White & Raphael Brun-Aguerre (Economic Research Global Data Watch, by JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A, London Branch), "Catalan challenge asks real questions of Europe" (PDF: 5 pages). 
  • October 28th
    • CATALONIA La Vanguardia, an important, conservative and prudent newspaper from Barcelona, publishes a long editorial about self determination (editorial "Politics, Dialogue and Boldness", in Spanish). It says that 'Catalonia is a nation', against Spanish official position. It also includes last poll: 81% want a referendum, 53% say yes to independence (35%, no).
    • CATALONIA Pere Navarro, center-left Catalan leader (PSC-PSOE), presents his program: a federalist alternative plus a constitutional reform that will allow a referendum. They will vote no to independence.
  • October 29th
  • October 30th
    • CATALONIA Catalan chancellors from public universities publicly support a free referendum
  •  October 31th
  • November 1st
  • November 2nd
    • CATALONIA Josep Antoni Duran, leader of Democratic Union of Catalonia (the Christian democratic party which is federated with Mas's party, Democratic Convergence of Catalonia), begins a series of antiindependence statements: "I cannot imagine Catalonia without Spain".
  • November 3rd
    • CATALONIA Poll: 72% support a referendum, 52% will say yes, 48% believe Artur Mas will keep the struggle until the end (75% among pro-independence voters), 72% expect a strong opposition from Spain 
    • SPAIN 300 Spanish intellectuals present a manifesto against independence, published by El País (full text, in Spanish). Although, it diverges in one point from main Spanish political parties: "If that feeling [the feeling of independence] is so mainstream and so contrary, in an irreducible and permanent way, to the maintenance of our institutions, our democratic conviction will force the rest of Spaniards to take it into consideration and find a proper and respectful solution. Citizens of Catalonia must know that this is our unwavering commitment."
  • November 4th
  • November 6th
    • WORLD 16,000 Catalans who live abroad, from a 150,000 population, will be allowed to vote, among complains about Spanish diplomatic negligence
    • WORLD "A trip to Barcelona", an insightful video (6' 03'') by Sharif, a New Yorker 
    • SPAIN 800 Galician intellectuals present a manifesto for Catalonia's right to decide (full text, in Galician)
  • November 7th
    • EUROPE Catalan president Artur Mas in Brussels
    • EUROPE Ian Traynor (The Guardian): "Catalan leader Artur Mas presses EU on secession issue"
    • WORLD Gabriele Steinhauser (Wall Street Journal Blogs): "Mas Power for Catalonia"
    • CATALONIA Catalan National Assembly and main trade unions in Catalonia present a manifesto for the right to decide. This is a global crisis, but it is getting worse because of the lack of any tax agreement with Spain and the lack of sovereignty.
    • CATALONIA Barcelona's Chamber of Commerce: 62% of entrepreneurs are pro-independence.
  • November 8th
    • SPAIN Poll about next elections (between October 9th and October 29th): Artur Mas's CiU, center-right party, does not reach absolute majority; pro-independence parties can obtain 92-93 deputies (there are 135 deputies in Catalan Parliament);  center-left unionist party, PSC-PSOE, sinks, from 28 deputies to 19, but it keeps second place; center-left pro-independence party, ERC, increases from 10 deputies to 17.
    • CATALONIA Poll about next elections (between October 22th and October 31th)  Artur Mas's CiU, center-right party, reaches absolute majority; pro-independence parties can obtain 93-98 deputies (135 deputies in Parliament); yes to independence increases until 57% (from 45% a year before); no to independence, 21% (abstentions, 14%); center-left unionist party, PSC-PSOE, sinks, from 28 deputies to 15.
  • November 9th
    • CATALONIA Electoral campaign begins.
    • CATALONIA "Cauen els murs (The Walls Come Down)" (2' 04''): a video calls for massive support to independence by comparing Catalonia's movement with the fall of the Wall in Berlin (November 9th, 1989).
    • SPAIN 40 Spanish intellectuals present a manifesto for Catalonia's right to decide, published by Público (full text, in Spanish).
    • EUROPE Catalan members of European Parliament submit a question to European Commission concerning Spanish diplomatic negligence (only 16,000 Catalans who live abroad, from a 150,000 population, will be allowed to vote, due to bureaucratic difficulties).
    • EUROPE EU allocates €63 million to bring Kosovo closer to Europe (press relesase, PDF). European Commission was authorized to initiate talks with Kosovo on March 22th (a vote was won by 522 to 110; only Spain and France opposed).
  • November 10th
    • EUROPE Viviane Reding, vice president of European Commission, says, in a public meeting in Berlin, that an independent Catalonia would be excluded from European Union (see above September 30th, October 8th and October 15th).
  •  November 13th
    • EUROPE José Manuel Durao Barroso, president of European Commission, answers a question in European Parliament: European Commission will not decide about the inclusion of a new state until the proper moment (see above September 30th, October 8th, October 15th and November 10th).
    • WORLD Bloomberg interviews Joan Vidal de Ciurana, chief-of-staff of the regional Catalan government (3' 56''): "Catalonia would weigh independence outside European Union".
  • November 14th
    • CATALONIA Col·lectiu Emma publishes "What the elections in Catalonia are really about" (also in Arabic, Catalan, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish). 
    • CATALONIA Cultural associations publish a manifesto for Catalonia's right to decide.
    • EUROPE First pan-european general strike in order to protest against the harsh austerity measures implemented by national governments in response to the financial crisis.
  • November 15th
    • CATALONIA Col·lectiu Wilson: an academical contribution to the current debate on self-determination in Catalonia in order to help its citizens decide their own future, free from fear or unfounded threats.
    • WORLD "Someday We'll All Be Free", another brilliant video (6' 27'') by Sharif, a New Yorker 
  • November 16th
  • November 18th
    • CATALONIA Polls about next elections: Artur Mas's CiU, center-right party, does not reach half of deputies; ERC, center-left pro-independence party, may double its representation and may advance unionist parties; PSC-PSOE, center-left unionist party, sinks. Pro-independence parties can obtain 93 deputies (there are 135 deputies in Catalan Parliament).
  • November 19th
  • November 20th
  • November 21th
  • November 22th
  • November 25th
  • November 27th
  • November 28th
  • November 29th
    • CATALONIA Republican Left of Catalonia proposes a referendum on September 2013. It is a pro-independence party, with 21 deputies, the second party in the new Parliament.
  • November 30th
  • December 3rd
  • December 4th
    • CATALONIA Liz Castro, "Catalan government rejects Spanish plan against language immersion".
    • SPAIN Irene Rigau, Catalan minister of Education, leaves a conference meeting on education in Madrid to express her opposition to the motion against Catalan schools. She says that the proposals presented are “not negotiable” for the Catalans.
    • WORLD Less than 10,000 Catalans who live abroad, from a 156,000 population, were allowed to vote, due to bureaucratic difficulties: a report states that the majority of these voters are pro-independence voters.
  • December 5th
  • December 6th
    • CATALONIA During Spanish Constitution Day, 7,000 people march in Barcelona supporting union with Spain.
  • December 7th
    • CATALONIA A new popular campaign begins: "Keep Calm and Speak Catalan" --"Keep Calm and Carry On" was a propaganda poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of a Nazi invasion of the UK.
  • December 10th
    • CATALONIA People in more than 60 municipalities demonstrate at night against Spanish plan on education, under the motto "A country for everybody, school in Catalan". The demonstration in Barcelona achieves thousands of people in Sant Jaume Square, calling for independence. President Artur Mas receives Som Escola (We Are School), a commission of teachers, artists and civil rights activists.
    • SPAIN Two young students, Ismael and Amparo from València, reject Spanish plan against Catalan language in schools in an official meeting about human rights in Spanish Congress.
    • EUROPE Ramon Tremosa, member of European Parliament, warns about the Spanish attack to the Catalan language in schools (video, 1' 03'')
    • EUROPE Severin Carrell (The Guardian), "Scotland calls for urgent talks over EU membership".
    • EUROPE Lorraine Ryan (University of Birmingham), "Catalonia's Quest for Independence".
    • WORLD R.L.G. (The Economist), "A Spanish own goal".
  • December 11th
  • December 12th
    • CATALONIA President Mas holds general meeting with parties that support language immersion and reject Spanish plan. These parties have 107 deputies (there are 135 deputies in Catalan Parliament)
    • SPAIN Strong opposition by Catalan deputies in Spanish Congress against the plan on education (a photograph): "Don't touch our children
    • EUROPE Braden Phillips (Reuters), "Spain education plan stokes tensions with restive Catalonia".
  • December 14th
  • December 15th
    • CATALONIA Catalan National Assembly calls for center-right and center-left pro-independence parties to work out an agreement.
  • December 17th
    • CATALONIA "The beauty of dreams", by Frankly, a translation of an abbreviated version of the inspiring address delivered by Núria de Gispert (of the governing pro-independence Convergence and Union party) following her re-election as Presiding Officer of the Catalan Parliament at the first meeting of its new session.
  • December 18th
  • December 19th
  • December 20th
    • CATALONIA PSC-PSOE, center-left party (20 deputies in Parliament), will abstain in future decisions about independence. This position reduces even more the strength of antiindependece parties (there are 135 deputies in Catalan Parliament and there are only 28 deputies against independence).
    • SPAIN Spanish Government begins actions against some municipalities that declared they were free Catalan territory: Girona, Celrà.
  • December 21th
  • December 22th
  • December 23th
    • CATALONIA Interesting poll in Diari Ara: 80% of Convergencia and Union and Republican Left voters support the agreement between both parties, and only 3% are against it. 40% of center-left party PSC-PSOE voters support independence.
    • SPAIN José Manuel Romero (El País, in English) "Police chiefs using extra-legal methods to attack Catalan politicians".
  • December 24th
  • December 26th
    • CATALONIA Saint Stephen Concert, at Palace of Catalan Music: one more outcry for independence (video: 4' 16'').
  • December 30th
    • BALEARIC ISLANDS Pro-independence rally in Palma (Majorca): video 4' 16''.
  • December 31th
  • January 3rd
  • January 6th
    • SPAIN Day of Spanish Army: the Minister of Defence states that the army is ready and urges its members not to fall for provocations.
  • January 7th
  • January 8th
    • CATALONIA The Prince of Spain, the Spanish president and the president of Catalonia met at the inauguration of the high-speed rail that connects Barcelona and Figueres, near the French border. Artur Mas claims that this rail was expected to be build many years before; Spain is underfunding Catalonia
    • WORLD Sean Aday (The Institute of Public Diplomacy and Global Communication Blog) "Catalan Independence and Sub-State Public Diplomacy".
  • January 9th
    • CATALONIA An official poll from Barcelona City Council, made in December: pro-independence parties increase votes in Barcelona and win.

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