Thousands protest as Spain imposes direct rule on Catalonia
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, many holding banners proclaiming ‘freedom’, gather in Barcelona to protest against the Spanish government’s move to suspend Catalonian autonomy. Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, said he would begin the process of removing Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan leader, from office.
INSPIRED, in part, by independence referendums in Scotland and in Catalonia, two affluent regions in Italy go to the polls today to find out if voters there wish to return to the autonomy they once enjoyed.
For centuries, Lombardy was an independent kingdom, in a fragmented Italy, ruled by a fierce warriors who swept over the Alps from central Europe. Now it is one of Italy’s richest regions and home to Milan, the country’s finance and fashion capital.
Along with neighbouring Veneto, which has an equally distinguished history of independence and the tourist jewel of Venice, they are voting on whether to hold back money from the central government in Rome and assume greater responsibility in areas such as infrastructure, migration and education. There are precedents close to home; Sardinia, Sicily and the Trentino-South Tyrol have all enjoyed some autonomy from Rome since 1946, when the constitution was drawn up.
“This is not in any way about separating these regions from the rest of Italy,” said Giovanni Orsina, a professor of politics at Luiss University in Rome. “There is a danger that the referendums will remind people in the north how unhappy they are with Rome. But it is not comparable to the Catalonia vote.”
Unlike the Catalan vote, ruled illegal by Spain, the referendums are permitted under the Italian constitution.
They are seen as a means by which the conservative Northern League, which controls both regions, can flex its muscles ahead of a general election next year. But it faces a balancing act – its push for the north could undermine its desire to attract votes in the south.