On Sunday 1 October 2017, Catalonia is due to hold a referendum with the question “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?” The Spanish state, where Rajoy’s right wing PP governs as a minority, is using all possible repressive measures to try to stop the vote.

The demand for a vote on independence is a product of many factors. The immediate explanation is Spain’s refusal to accept more moderate changes. An attempt in 2005 to reform Catalonia’s autonomy statute was sabotaged by the PP… and also by the Social democratic PSOE. In 2010 the Spanish Constitutional Court banned sections of a mildly reformed statute, provoking a million strong demonstration in Barcelona with the slogan “We are a nation. We decide.” Since then there have been half a dozen massive pro independence mobilisations, of one to two million people each, in ...

El domingo 1 de octubre de 2017, Catalunya celebrará un referéndum con la pregunta "¿Quieres que Catalunya se convierta en un Estado independiente en forma de república?" El Estado español, donde el conservador Partido Popular (PP) de Mariano Rajoy gobierna en minoría, está usando todas las medidas represivas posibles para tratar de impedir la votación.

La demanda de un voto sobre la independencia es un producto de muchos factores. La explicación inmediata es la negativa de España a aceptar cambios más moderados. Un intento en 2005 de reformar el estatut de autonomía de Catalunya fue saboteado por el PP... y también por los socialdemócratas, el PSOE. En 2010, el Tribunal Constitucional español paralizó las secciones restantes de una reforma para entonces ya moderada y mutilada, desencadenando una manifestación de un millón de personas en Barcelona bajo el lema "Somos una nación. Nosotros decidimos". Desde entonces, ha habido media ...

For more than half a year people have taken to the streets in the Rif region and the rest of Morocco. They demand an end to humiliation (“hogra”) at the hands of police and state officials, and investment in public services and employment.

The movement began with the brutal police murder of the fishmonger Mohcine Fikri in Al Hoceima. Hoceima is part of the northern Rif region—a politically, economically and culturally marginalised part of Morocco. The region has a rich history of resistance, both against colonialism and the Moroccan regime. The demands of the Amazighen people of the region have been taken up by people all over the country.

The protests have grown over the past weeks, further strengthened in reaction to repression. After years of silence, people are coming out in huge numbers. Women are taking a leading role within the protests. Last Sunday hundreds of thousands demonstrated ...

The announcement today by the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, that a referendum will be held on the independence of Catalunya of Sunday 1 October responds to a longstanding demand by a large majority of the country. It comes after years of mass mobilisations in recent years, with demonstrations of up to 2 million people, and countless other actions.

Currently, around 80% of the the Catalan population are in favour of a referendum being held. Some of them would prefer it to be organised in agreement with the Spanish government in Madrid.

With this aim, over the last three months, a very broad campaign, the National Pact for the Referendum, collected half a million signatures in favour of the Catalan and Spanish governments coming to an agreement on a referendum. This campaign included the pro independence parties, but also “the commons”. This new left political space in Catalunya combines social ...