THE LAST WORD
They said they would vote, and vote they surely did
Several hundred people were injured in the clashes with police, and yet in the evening there were still long queues outside polling stations all over Catalonia
Votarém (we will vote) was a common chant heard in the run-up to the independence referendum. When October 1 finally came around, Catalan voters made good on their promise. Despite a violent crackdown by Spanish riot police, more than two million people turned out at polling stations all over the country to cast their ballots and have a say over the political future of their country.
The day began with riot police armed with batons and rubber bullets storming polling stations to prevent people from voting. Several hundred people were injured in the clashes, and yet in the evening there were still long queues outside polling stations all over Catalonia. If the police closed down one polling place, people just went elsewhere to vote, even if meant a long wait in the rain.
A lot happened on October 1, and it is still too soon to really understand the full significance of it, where it might lead next, what it might or might not achieve, even whether it is the end or just the beginning. However, one clear thing I took away from the day, and which is reflected in our coverage of the referendum on pages 17 to 21, is the stubborn determination of people in Catalonia to vote. We will vote, they said, and vote they did.
Catalonia Today is a monthly magazine and that makes it hard sometimes to cover news as effectively as it can be in a daily newspaper. Especially in today’s world with its fast-moving, never-ending news cycle. Yet, the magazine’s remit is to present Catalonia in all of its aspects, from its traditional culture to its landscape, its people and its food, its business, its art, its sport, and, of course, its politics.
We dedicate a lot space in the magazine to showing off the best of Catalonia. We have interviews with its most successful figures, itineraries of its beauty spots, we feature its wine and food, and we celebrate its cultural and sporting achievements. This month, though, we thought it is important to shine the spotlight on its people. The deadline for this issue of the magazine was held back on purpose, as publishing Catalonia Today without covering what will no doubt become one of the most important days in Catalan history makes no sense. It would also be a chance missed to say, well done Catalans, you did a great job !
