Reactions to the 2017 Catalan independence referendum

As a result of the advisory Catalan independence referendum, 2017, reactions came from a multitude of avenues, including the domestic central state and other official bodies, as well as international commentary.

Domestic

Catalonia

Catalonia President Carles Puigdemont said he will keep his pledge to declare independence unilaterally. He added that Catalonia "has won the right to become an independent state." He further blamed the situation in Catalonia on the "intransigence, the repression, the complete denial of reality, the hostility seen during the democratic demands made by our country" and that "on this day of hope and suffering, Catalonia’s citizens have earned the right to have an independent state in the form of a republic...We have earned the right to be listened to, respected and recognised."

Jordi Sanchez, leader of ANC, spoke in Barcelona's main square saying he hopes that "very soon we will see the birth of a new Catalan state." He also warned local leaders: "Now, don't let us down...The moment of truth has arrived." Government Spokesman Jordi Turull said that Spain is "the shame of Europe" for its crackdown. He added that "what the police are doing is simply savage, it's an international scandal." Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau called on Rajoy to resign, She told TV3 that "Rajoy has been a coward, hiding behind the prosecutors and courts. Today he crossed all the red lines with the police actions against normal people, old people, families who were defending their fundamental rights. It seems obvious to me that Mariano Rajoy should resign." She added that Catalonia has "earned the right to demand" a proper vote on independence from Spain..."the European Union must take a stand on what has happened in Catalonia."

The CCOO union called for a general strike on 3 October "to condemn the violence employed by security forces of the state to stop the referendum." It also called for protests on 2 October at 12:00 in front of town halls across Catalonia. Jordi Cuixart, the leader of Omnium, also urged a general strike in Catalonia on 3 October.

Central government

Central government Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy claimed that no referendum had been held. He also praised the police for acting with "firmness and serenity."

Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said the police actions were "unfortunate" and "unpleasant" but "proportionate." He told the Associated Press, that he blamed the violence exclusively on Puigdemont and his regional government: "if people insist in disregarding the law and doing something that has been consistently declared illegal and unconstitutional, law enforcement officers need to uphold the law."

PSOE's General Secretary Pedro Sanchez said that the vote "has perverted the concept of democracy" and urged central government to begin negotiations with the regional Catalan leaders. He also blamed the "serious institutional crisis" on both the central government and the regional Catalan government. He further condemned Rajoy's cabinet for ordering the police charges against voters to halt the suspended referendum, but added that he would stand by Rajoy in order to support the stability of Spain in a moment of deep crisis. He then added that the vote "consecrates the Catalan government's flight forward, creating solely division and not providing any solution."

Economy

The following day the Madrid-based Ibex fell by over one percent, despite regional and global markets rising. The euro also fell.

Sport

FC Barcelona played their weekend La Liga match against Las Palmas behind "closed doors", partially due to safety purposes, as well as in protest. Former member, and now Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola backed Gerard Piqué's criticism of the Spanish government's treatment of those who were trying to vote. He also urged the Spanish to learn from the British and allow Catalonia to vote in saying: "You can be in agreement with him or not but Piqué is a brave guy."

International

• Belgium – Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned the unfolding violence and called for political dialogue between the two sides. He also wrote: "Violence can never be the answer!"
• Canada
  • Québec – Premier Philippe Couillard wrote on Twitter "...Québec condemns all forms of violence. The answer: dialogue between [both] sides." Parti Québécois leader Jean-François Lisée wrote on Twitter: "I salute the Catalan people who are standing in front of the unworthy and disgraceful violence of the Spanish state" and that this was "[a] dark day for Europe and democracy. All leaders must denounce Spain." Opposition party, Coalition Avenir Québec, stated in a press release that it "deplores the use of force and repression by the Spanish state;" while it further reaffirmed Catalonia's "right of self[-]determination." Montréal Mayor Denis Coderre affirmed his solidarity with his Barcelona counterpart, Ada Colau, by writing on Twitter "...We must condemn all violence and protect democracy."
• Slovenia - Prime Minister Miro Cerar was "concerned."
• United Kingdom – A statement from the British Foreign Office said, "The referendum is a matter for the Spanish government and people. We want to see Spanish law and the Spanish constitution respected and the rule of law upheld. Spain is a close ally and a good friend, whose strength and unity matters to us." Leader of the Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked Theresa May to intervene "to find political solution to the crisis." Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable urged Boris Johnson to make clear that the violence against voters was unacceptable. Welsh Liberal Democrats Councillor for Cwmbwrla Ward, City and County of Swansea Peter Black wrote that the reaction of the central Spain actions "have succeeded in boosting the secessionist movement in Catalan. They may find it very difficult to put that genie back in the bottle.
  • Gibraltar – Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: "I am very concerned to see violence in the streets of our neighbouring nation. The claim by Spain to the land that I call my home is anachronistic and remnant of a bygone era. But anyone who visits Gibraltar realizes it is far from anachronistic - it is modern, it is digital, it is thrusting and it is prosperous.
  • Scotland – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the state's Foreign Office’s statement "shamefully weak." She added that "regardless of [one's] views on independence, we should all condemn the scenes being witnessed."
• Venezuela – President Nicolás Maduro criticized the Spanish police response to the referendum. In a televised statement, Maduro said "our hand goes out to the people of Catalonia. Resist, Catalonia! Latin America admires you".

Media

The Guardian wrote "Rajoy's subsequent choice to employ physical force to impose his will on civilians exercising a basic democratic right carried a chill echo of Spain’s past and a dire warning for the future. That is dictatorship. Surely no one believes the cause of Catalan independence will fade away after Sunday’s bloody confrontations that left hundreds injured. Rajoy’s actions may have ensured, on the contrary, that the campaign enters a new, more radical phase, potentially giving rise to ongoing clashes, reciprocal violence, and copycat protests elsewhere, for example among the left-behind population of economically deprived Galicia. In Spain’s Basque country, where Eta separatists waged a decades-long terror campaign that killed more than 800 people and injured thousands, the dream of independence is on ice – but not forgotten. The danger is that a new generation of younger Basques who feel ignored by Madrid, and repelled by what happened in Barcelona, may be tempted to revisit Eta’s unilateral 2010 ceasefire and its subsequent disarmament." The BBC asked " How could an EU that opposed independence for, say, the Kurds or Crimea suddenly decide to welcome it for the Catalans? The EU would find it hard to back a vote for self-determination that had been so clearly ruled illegal by a country's constitutional court." DW drew parallels between Catalonia and European seperatist movements in the Basque nation, Scotland, Flanders, Padania, South Tyrol and Corsica.