Catalonia is living a historical moment, since there will be a referendum for independence on the 9th of November of 2014. Since a few years ago, the independent movement has increased a lot, and nowadays there is a big social majority in favour of the independence. The Catalan society has a clear will, and they have taken the streets more than once to show it to the world.
Everything started with the local polls in 2010, when almost all the villages, towns and cities of Catalonia made local polls to ask people about independence. These little referendums were a total success, and they showed to the Catalan society that a referendum was possible. After that, on the Catalan National Day of 2012, more than 2 million people took to the streets of Barcelona, claiming independence. It was the biggest demonstration that had ever taken place in the Catalan Countries. So once again, the will of the Catalan people was reaffirmed. In 2013, also in the National Day, the people of Catalonia took to the streets again, but this time the Catalan Society built a huge human chain of more than 400 km, going from North Catalonia to the Valencian Country, and also in the Balearic Islands, demonstrating the will of a unique nation, the Catalan Countries.
The Spanish government is not in favour of this democratic process, and it will try to avoid the right to vote of the people, attacking the Catalan nation, as it always does. There are many attacks that the Spanish government has made recently against the Catalan Countries. In Catalonia, they don't want to negotiate, and they are doing everything they can to avoid the referendum, but they are also tackling the rest of the nation. The Spanish government is trying to suppress the Catalan language; for example, in the Balearic Islands the Popular Party is changing the educational model, reducing Catalan classes. In the Valencian Country they closed the National Radio and Television, and leaving the Valencian society without any public media in Catalan. On the other hand, the Spanish Government not only attacks our culture, it also assaults us economically with the fiscal spoliation, and with a lack of investment, that affects negatively the whole society and its welfare.
Recently, the Catalan political forces have reached an agreement to hold a referendum this year, the 9th of November 2014, so the society will have the opportunity of express their opinion with this vote. The Catalan people needs all possible international support to be able to make the referendum happen and to condemn the behaviour of the Spanish Government.
It is a historical moment for the Catalan Countries, as part of the nation will have the opportunity to decide its future. The Catalan people have to win the referendum to be free, and to start a new era building a new and fair country, and continue working for the reunification.
The European Free Alliance Youth