Le Monde

[Alexander]

France Increases Forces at Spanish Border, Responds to Catalan Crisis

Paris - In response to the civil disturbances in the Catalonia region of Spain, the Minister of the Interior has declared a border emergency. The declaration allows for the deployment of French soldiers to the Franco-Spanish border in Occitania. Border forces have been instructed to grant entry to any and all Spanish citizens with a valid visa or seeking refugee status. The French Red Cross has already been mobilized to provide aid to Spanish refugees. In response to the Catalan Crisis itself the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has stated it maintains the recognition of Catalonia as an autonomous part of the Spanish state and that the unity of the Spanish state may not be infringed. It has however called for caution on the part of the Spanish government to protect the rights of minorities.

It came as a total surprise to French authorities when the first signs of rebellion in Catalonia broke out. When the first refugees began showing at the French border crossing the border guards were initially overwhelmed. Spain had long been a stable and almost passive neighbour. While the region of Catalonia has had a long history of resistance, much like the Basque region, analysts had assumed their movement would remain peaceful. The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs was quick to comment that France would continue its recognition of the Spanish borders as agreed upon by the international community and established through numerous treaties. This comes as little surprise, seeing as the French state itself does not want to encourage secessionist movements in its own territories. "The Spanish state has long taken care of the Catalan minority, we have no reason to believe that independence at this stage is the best avenue fior the Catalan people". The Minister also expressed resistance to efforts by other parties to escalate the matter to the global level. "At this stage we have no reason to believe the Spanish state needs outside help to stabilize its state. Furthermore, we have seen no signs that Spanish authorities are acting heavy-handed towards the Catalan minority. However, as always we continue to monitor the situation and urge the Spanish to maintain restraint."

While the position on foreign policy is clear, the crisis has also created a sudden refugee crisis on the border. Under French law any person seeking asylum for any reason is to be taken in at an official border post and processed by the Ministry of the Interior. To keep up with the flow of refugees and to prevent armed militants crossing into French territory, the Minister of the Interior has declared a border emergency and requested the Ministry of the Armed Forces to deploy soldiers to the border in Occitania. Under the order, 2,000 soldiers will support the 400 border guards and 10,000 Gendarmes already in the region.

Per applicable laws any Spanish citizens with a valid visa or requesting asylum will be taken in by the French Empire. The French Red Cross has begun setting up temporary placement camps in the border region where asylum seekers will be kept while their applications are processed. If approved, which under the current conditions its likely, they will be granted refugee status which allows them to live and work in France.

Zak

 

[Alexander]

Tensions in Northern Catalonia on the Rise

Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales - Following the outbreak of the Catalan Crisis in Spain, tensions in the Pyrénées-Orientales Prefecture (also known as Northern Catalonia) are on the rise as the generally quiet Catalan minority has increasingly taken to the streets. Following the arrest of the secessionist leader by Spain, protests have even turned violent in Perpignan and other major French Catalan towns.

While nowhere near as assertive as the Spanish Catalan minority, there have always been calls within Northern Catalonia to join with their Spanish compatriots and create an independent Catalan state. Especially during periods of increased activity in Spain, the French movements have a tendency to echo the levels of activism. The levels of activism in recent days however have no historical precedent, with the 20,000 large solidarity protest in Perpignan yesterday being the largest of its kind in French Catalan history. Gendarmes had to break down the protests as a minority sought to split off and march on the Spanish border. Sixty arrests were made as protesters refused to follow police instructions. Organizers of yesterday's protest have already announced plans to launch a new one set for next week with ambitions of being even larger.

While France is no stranger to secessionist movements, the Catalan minority is not often the one to take the spotlight, with most secessionist talk and organization coming instead from Corsican and Breton as well as overseas minority groups. Even in Southern France the Occitan Separatist Movement is more often in the news than the Catalan movement. Experts believe that the current levels of resistance can be explained both by the severity of the crisis in Spain, and the strong support expressed by Paris for the government in Madrid. "Historically Catalans have always viewed Paris as a neutral party, historically even a protector of the Catalan cause. To many the decision by the government to so openly support Spain is considered a betrayal, even though it has been policy of France to consider Catalonia as part of Spain since the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees" Professor Rosa Castell, a lecturer on the French Catalan minority with the University of Toulouse, clarified.

While peaceful protests will be allowed to continue, the National Gendarmerie has set up checkpoints near the Spanish border to intercept any would-be revolutionaries before they can cross over into Spanish territory. Under French law, citizens can be restricted from leaving the country for up to 180 days if the security services consider them a threat to another state.