Almost a year after a clear vote to separate from Spain, Catalonia is still fighting for independence. There has been violence since the night of the referendum, but lately it is has started to become much more intense. This all stems from pressure from Madrid to crush the separatist movement. Immediately after the vote, the spokeswoman for the socialist government in Madrid stated that the referendum was illegal and had no legal consequence, meaning that the vote was largely symbolic and would not perpetuate any action. On October 1st over 180,000 Catalonians gathered to protest in Barcelona, there were many banners starting “October 1, no forgiving, no forgetting.” Some protestors gathered on Railroad tracks to block trains coming from regions outside of Catalonia. Many are calling for the resignation of current regional president Quim Torra.
The former Prime Minister of France, Manuel Valls, has announced his intentions to run for mayor of Barcelona. He states that he does not support the secession of Catalonia from Spain, if elected he would definitely crush the movement. He was born in a Catalonian town while his parents were visiting, many say that he is not a true Catalan and this could hurt his chances of being elected. Many have said that after failing in France he is solely looking for a way to get back into politics and government to make up for his failed political career in France. I do not think that he would be elected due to the overwhelming amounts of pro secession citizens living in Barcelona. “I implicated myself in this debate because I was born in Barcelona,” Valls said. “I want to give back to Catalonia and Spain everything they have given me.” He faces an uphill battle, with many factors weighing against him but it seems as if he is trying to save his career in a last ditch effort.