Catalan parliament paves way for referendum on independence

The Generalitat of Catalonia headed by Artur Mas yesterday approved a declaration of the autonomy as a sovereign unity. Although largely symbolic, the declaration is sure to put Catalonia at loggerheads with the central government in Madrid and draw criticism from the rest of Spain.

Many Catalans have only recently started to support moves to independence following what they see as inflexibility from the current government and outright hostility from many Spaniards towards Catalonia.

However, some actions against Catalonia have backfired in recent years. A boycott of Cava throught the rest of Spain initially saw a drop in sales. Seeking to replace the lost sales in foreign markets, sales of Cava have in fact increased.

Source: The Guardian

Tags: Catalonia, Generalitat, Independence, socialmedia