The Catalan crisis is not just about nationalism | Catalonia | Al Jazeera
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Madrid, as Pepe Escobar said, “in effect subscribes to only two priorities: dutifully obey EU austerity diktats, and crush by all means any regional push for autonomy.” This is probably why Rajoy’s government made it easier for firms to relocate, passing a law that allows companies to shift their legal address more quickly; more than 700 (including banks, multinationals, and publishers) have decided to move so far from Catalonia.
The fact that the EU unconditionally supports the Spanish prime minister’s policies towards the Catalonia impasse is an indication it cannot afford another Brexit. As President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “If we allow Catalonia - and it is not our business - to separate, others will do the same.” Although First Vice President Frans Timmermans condemned Spanish police brutality during the referendum, he also said that “it is a duty for any government to uphold the law, and this sometimes does require the proportionate use of force.”
Those of us who were in Barcelona that day can testify that there was nothing “proportionate” in the police violence except that its proportions made it imperative to call for Rajoy’s resignation. As we can see, this crisis was triggered by more than just nationalism; it is also matter of governance in the “age of anger”.