{"id":1706,"date":"2017-11-17T15:45:11","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T15:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.satellite.mmu.ac.uk\/northernquota-old\/2017\/11\/17\/mmu-lecturer-opinions-divided-over-catalonia-independence-crisis\/"},"modified":"2017-11-17T15:45:11","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T15:45:11","slug":"mmu-lecturer-opinions-divided-over-catalonia-independence-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/satellite.mmu.ac.uk\/northernquota-old\/mmu-lecturer-opinions-divided-over-catalonia-independence-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"MMU lecturer: opinions divided over Catalonia independence crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

AN MMU lecturer has spoken out about the ongoing politial crisis in Spain over Catalonia’s demand for independence. <\/p>\n

The crisis began after the Catalonian regional government held an independence referendum on 1 October.<\/p>\n

The Spanish government strongly opposed the referendum and did everything in its powers to stop the referendum from going ahead, including seizing ballot boxes from polling stations and preventing people from voting. The Spanish constitutional court also backed the government\u2019s opposition to the vote and declared the referendum illegal.<\/p>\n

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However, the violent scenes witnessed throughout Catalonia were not widely condemned by the European Union or neighbouring countries who declared the crisis to be \u201can internal matter\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Northern Quota spoke to Manchester Metropolitan University Spanish lecturer Idoya Puig, who is against Catalonian independence, and to Anna Enjuanes-Marti, who lives near Barcelona and is in favour of independence<\/p>\n

Idoya said: \u201cThere have been tension for a long time, but divisions have escalated in recent years. The Spanish government unfortunately has not been very sympathetic to some of these claims during these years and that has exacerbated the independent feeling instead of diffusing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked how the Spanish government responded to the crisis, Idoya said: \u201cThe Spanish government realise how serious the situation is because the Catalan government is playing a very dangerously game, as breaking the law can undermine the very basis of Spain\u2019s democratic system.\u201d<\/p>\n

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