The statement below was released by four mayors of cities in the Spanish state 鈥 Barcelona, Cadiz, Zaragoza and A Coruna 鈥 and signed by many well-known figures from Spanish media and culture. It was translated for 91自拍论坛 Weekly by Dick Nichols.
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The brutal attacks in Paris on November 13 were designed to install a climate of terror in the population, raising walls of suspicion and hatred between neighbours, shattering community life and bringing the politics of fear into our daily lives.
Barcelona
The November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris were an ideal political gift for Europe's warmongers. It offers a chance to fulfill some previously out-of-reach dreams 鈥 such as restoring Germany to a fully-fledged offensive military role or to finally split the British Labour Party between its pro- and anti-war wings.
In Spain, however, the militarists 鈥 led by the governing People鈥檚 Party (PP) of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the official opposition Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) 鈥 have a tricky job getting the country on board the 鈥渨ar on terror鈥.
Podemos activists
The December 20 elections in the Spanish state will attract the usual large field of runners. Challengers will represent every imaginable position along the Spanish state's two main political dimensions 鈥 the left-to-right social axis and the axis of national rights.
This second dimension reaches from the centralism of the ruling People's Party (PP) to the pro-independence stance of various Catalan, Basque and Galician parties.
Who won the September 27 elections for the Catalan parliament, called as a substitute for the Scottish-style independence referendum that the Spanish People's Party (PP) government refuses to allow? It depends who you ask.
On the night, most commentators on Madrid-based TV and radio called the result a defeat for the pro-independence camp: its two tickets 鈥 the mainstream nationalist Together for Yes and the anti-capitalist People's Unity Candidacies (CUP) - won only 47.74% of the vote against 52.26% for 鈥渢he rest鈥.
More than 1 million people took part in a pro-independence march in Barcelona on September 11, Catalonia's national day.
A year has passed since the British establishment won the September referendum on Scottish independence with a final campaign week of blackmail, dirty tricks and multi-party sworn promises yet to be kept.
If a Catalan Rip Van Winkle were to wake up today after a sleep of only six years, his disorientation with Catalonia would be as great as that of the original Rip Van Winkle after he dozed right through the American War of Independence. 鈥淎m I hallucinating?鈥 he might ask, struggling to find the right answer to questions like:
The squares in front of scores of town halls across the Spanish state were jam-packed with enthusiastic crowds on June 13. Tens of thousands had gathered to celebrate the inauguration of progressive administrations elected in a leftward swing in the May 24 local government elections for Spain鈥檚 8144 councils.
It was clear early on that something special was happening in the May鈥 鈥24鈥 鈥琹ocal government and regional elections across the Spanish state.鈥 In Spanish elections,鈥 鈥瑃he voter participation rate gets announced at鈥 鈥1pm and鈥 鈥6pm鈥 鈥 鈥瑆hile voting is still taking place.鈥 鈥琖ell before the polling stations closed,鈥 鈥瑃he news was that participation was up about鈥 鈥5%鈥 鈥琲n Catalonia and about鈥 鈥8%鈥 鈥琲n the working-class districts of Barcelona.鈥
A commentator for the mainstream Barcelona daily La Vanguardia reported on May 9 on a conversation he overheard in a lift between two 鈥渆xecutives of a certain age鈥.
They were talking about an opinion poll giving the radical, movement-based ticket Barcelona Together the lead in the March 24 election for Barcelona City Council.
Executive A: 鈥淗ave you seen that [incumbent Barcelona mayor Xavier] Trias is losing?鈥
Executive B: 鈥淵es, [lead candidate for Barcelona Together Ada] Colau is winning.鈥
For three months, from November to February, the Spanish economic and political establishment was in a state of barely suppressed panic.
In national opinion polls, support for the 鈥渞eds鈥 - in the form of radical new force Podemos - had overtaken that for the establishment parties, the ruling People鈥檚 Party (PP) and the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE).
A central pillar of the Spanish economic and political establishment came crashing down on Paril 16.
Rodrigo Rato, former deputy prime minister in the 1996-2004 People鈥檚 Party (PP) government of Jose Maria Aznar and head of the International Monetary Fund from 2004 to 2007, was detained on suspicion of tax evasion, concealment of assets and fraud.
On November 9, 2.305 million residents of Catalonia defied a November 4 Spanish Constitutional Court ruling and voted on what future political status they wanted for their country, now one of the 17 鈥渁utonomous communities鈥 (regions) within the Spanish state.
Because of their rebellion 鈥 festive but determined 鈥 it was not just another voting day. Initiative for Catalonia-Greens (ICV) co-coordinator Joan Herrera called it 鈥渢he biggest demonstration in the history of this country鈥.
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