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There was some minor issue when the changed the name of the region, I believe they used the Roman name of the province. I don't quite recall, some French Catalans were mad.
True enough , the Socialist government -not having probably enough problems to solve-decided last year to change the names of several regions- a costly and not useful reform imho. The region "Languedoc-Roussillon" [Roussillon, Rossello, being the French Catalan region) was united with the Toulouse region and became a vast Occitania region including the whole South/Southwest of the country. I can understand why the French "catalanistas" were furious....
Now I recall, Septimania....They transformed Languedoc-Roussillon into Septimania. French Catalans interpreted it as an attempt to blur Catalan identity...as they have been doing with names since occupation.
There are some Catalan regions in France; Rosselló, Vallespir, Conflent, part of Cerdanya and perhaps some more.
Languedoc is just the region that speaks the language, languedocienne languages such as Catalan, Occitan, etc.
But the funniest case was when a Mayor in a French Catalan town in the Pyriness, in Cerdanya, declared that he wanted to return to Spanish Catalonia because taxes..Paris went through the top, they even sent a minister, police, quite fun.
From 6 million inhabitants, 2 millions voted, and from those 2 million about 81% voted yes-yes.
I hope you'll understand it now lol... that was the fake 2014 referendum where all of the pro independence voters voted, and they also allowed even youth kids to vote, they said above 16 years old but it was proven that in some towns the same people voted various times for the yes. Not surprising taking account that this independence thing started when the Spanish Constitutional Tribunal started to accuse the MP of the biggest Catalan party (CiU) of extreme corruption, back in 2012!
Artur Mas, the ex regional president of Catalonia and member of the CiU party stated back in 2007-2008 in a interview that the independence of Catalonia is something stale/old and it's not an interesting thing for Catalonia, he supports the unionism, as it works better together with Spain, which is the truth.
This same guy back in 2012 started the "Independence Route" after the Constitutional Tribunal of Spain accused the old CiU chairman to be involved in corruption.
Not only that, but on percentages from the public works (3%) from Catalonia, they achieved that him and his family (ex leader of CiU, not Artur Mas) can have up to 3 BILLION € in goods, investments, money on Switzerland, Panama, etc.
Even his children had garages with 20 cars which were Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, classic cars, etc.
In a hypotetical independent Catalonia, the Spanish tribunal can't judge that. It's nothing more than a iron curtain...
Those who nowadays want the independence and boosted it, like this person involved in this big corruption case (the ex chairman of CDC-CiU) voted in 1978 YES to the new Spanish Constitution:
And obviously this ex-chairman never boosted nothing related to the independence, and he was the regional president of Catalonia for more than 20 years!!!
They just made a coalition with their all time enemies (ERC) which is a very left (almost communist) party, while they are centre-right party. Crazy huh, crazy and funny at the same time; isn't it?
Now I recall, Septimania....They transformed Languedoc-Roussillon into Septimania. French Catalans interpreted it as an attempt to blur Catalan identity...as they have been doing with names since occupation.
There are some Catalan regions in France; Rosselló, Vallespir, Conflent, part of Cerdanya and perhaps some more.
Languedoc is just the region that speaks the language, languedocienne languages such as Catalan, Occitan, etc.
But the funniest case was when a Mayor in a French Catalan town in the Pyriness, in Cerdanya, declared that he wanted to return to Spanish Catalonia because taxes..Paris went through the top, they even sent a minister, police, quite fun.
Now that I recall, it was Pyrinees Orientals?
France must rearrange all their departaments, really confusing.
Now we are having a referendum again, and as usual I'll vote yes.....I'm preparing a excusion to reconquest Banyuls and play petanque there...Sete too..
Members of the army posing as gendarmes.
@ Ste68 : kosher (a hebrew word meaning "religiously sound") stands for OK. Not kosher = not OK.It's, of course, a metaphor.
@ papuolo : interesting post . And I would also argue that an independent Catalan state would have huge problems with France, because a small part of Catalonia (the northern part ) is part of the French Republic, and said centralized Republic is notoriously not enclined to allow cultural , and linguistical rights to local minorities (see the problems of France in Corsica). Northern Catalonia has been thoroughly frenchified since the 17th century (treaty of the Pyrenees between the King of France and the King of Spain). Woe to a government in Barcelona that would have territorial pretentions on northern Catalonia. It could end badly for him (-after all France is a nuclear power-lol)
No cultural repression at all, I saw lots of nationalistic parties in Perpignan, schools in Catalan and they have assimilated people from diverse origins. The AVE or fast train Barcelona - Perpignan is 1 hour and 20 minutes away....so they are always around here...which motivated complaints from the Mayor of Perpignan and he's right, as Perpignan and Northern Catalonia is a depressed area and the south Catalonia is a magnet, and far richer.
French do come in large numbers to brothels along the frontier, as it seems that France forbade prostitution in France -which is idiotic, why do they do that? They also buy lamb. Just as during Franco and the Spanish pilgrimage to Perpignan to watch porno films, buy porno magazines, go to casinos, forbidden movies -that last tango in Paris, etc.
For French Catalans, their capital has always been Barcelona...and for a large part of Occitania. There's a distinct affinity.
Just as Perpignan is in a way more Spanish than Catalan due to the large number of republican exiles and descendants -rojos..also Tolouse.
I love Spain and i love Barcelona but what's the deal with Catalonia. Why do Catalans feel superior to the rest of Spain and even Europe?
Because Catalonia/Barceolona was once a big deal. It had an empire stretching to the Sicily and even Syria. Spain has a challenging geography, which makes each region function separatedly because the highland in the middle of the city, which is like half of the country, makes it difficult to have a real unified country. Each regions simply don't feel connected to each other.
Catalonia has always been richer, trading with the mediterranian instead of inland Spain. Catalonia didn't care about Spain and rarely felt a part of it. Madrid is very weak in terms of its influence on Catalona, Valencia, or Andalusia. It is like an island in the middle of nowhere.
If you look at the population of spain, it is very weird. Madrid is huge due to being the capital, but the massive two regions sandwich it have few people.
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