Catalunya vs Basque independence bids: difference explained by EH Bildu leader

Arnaldo Otegi, from the Basque reunification party EH Bildu, had already predicted the State would begin a 'frenetic' drive to try to stop Catalunya's secession referendum before it had even taken any action – and since he voiced his suspicions in an interview on TV3, the national government has seized control of Catalunya's finances and military police force, arrested 14 politicians and summoned 712 mayors to testify in court.

Even though upheaval was expected when former Basque president, or lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe presented his plan for independence in 2003, it did not reach the proportions it has escalated to in Catalunya.

What Otegi calls 'catalanism' is 'characterised by making a permanent offer to Spain' so that the country could 'still be the national State for the people of Catalunya', whilst 'respecting' the region as 'a nation with its own identity', he says, but what is occurring now in Catalunya is the result of this 'permanent offer' having been 'an exercise in futility' as the national government has refused all along to enter into discussions.

“The fact that understanding the multi-national nature of the country is practically impossible for Spain's leaders is entrenched in its political DNA,” Otegi says.

“They [Spain's leaders] consider that recognising the right to decide is effectively admitting that the State is in danger of breaking up, a sign of national tragedy recurring, and it's going to be very difficult for us to find a democratic answer unless the State learns to look at it in another way.

“When we presented the 'Ibarretxe Plan' in 2003, we were proposing a type of free association with the State of Spain, but the State rejected this out of hand.

“In the event this happened – which it did – the 'Ibarretxe Plan' stated that a referendum on independence would be called.

“However, upon its return from Madrid, the PNV [Basque National Party, in power at the time] decided instead to call a regional election instead of a referendum to give them a stronger mandate for doing so.”

This action led to the 'Ibarretxe Plan' falling through in 2004 and eventually being forgotten about – in fact, statistics show that fewer than a third of Basque residents are interested in their region becoming a separate country, with demonstrations such as those pictured in the Basque Country now being extremely rare.

“The people of Catalunya are going much further than we did with the 'Ibarretxe Plan' – what is happening did not, or had not already, happened in Euskadi [the Basque Country's name in its regional language], which is that millions of catalanes have disconnected, emotionally and sentimentally, from Spain.

“And that,” concludes Otegi, “is going to be very difficult for Spain to get out of.”