Catalanist shake-up in Northern Catalonia?

BarcelonaThe consultation to change the name and recover Catalan identity in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales, the French nomenclature for Northern Catalonia, has ended. This Saturday was the last day of a vote held since June 22, although the results will not be known until August 28. With the participation data available (10% of the electorate with around 35,000 votes, according to departmental sources consulted, pending the publication of definitive data this Monday) and the positioning of the various actors, is a Catalanist shake-up expected? Will Pyrénées Catalanes win, will Pyrénées-Orientales remain, or will there be the cosmetic change of Pyrénées Méditerranée? This is the unknown after the departmental government rejected País Català because it believed the Council of State would veto it.

Catalanism has long wanted to consign Pyrénées-Orientales to the dustbin of history, a name invented in 1790 during the French Revolution for what were the counties of Roussillon and Cerdanya, the part of Catalonia stolen by the Crown of France thanks to the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659 following the Catalan defeat in the Segadors War. The controversy over the name grew with the administrative reform in force since 2016, which abolished previous regions such as Languedoc-Roussillon and created the macro-region of Occitania, which included Northern Catalonia. In the vote for the regional name in all territories, Occitania-País Català did not triumph – despite Northern Catalan support – and caused discontent, which it is intended to reverse in the department, the equivalent of a province.

The Sí al País Català party distances itself from the consultation by excluding the most popular name in the polls, which is its slogan, but the bulk of Catalanist voices endorse Pyrénées Catalanes, which would be "a step forward" for identity. On the other hand, the mayor of Perpignan, the far-right Louis Aliot, has rejected the change, and the hotel association and the Chamber of Commerce have opted for Pyrénées Méditerranée. In contrast, the cultural sector has become involved in favor of Pyrénées Catalanes, with multiple personalities.

Identity, at stake

The leader of Unitat Catalana, Jaume Pol, provincial deputy, assures ARA that "there is almost unanimity in Catalan civic circles to defend the option of Catalan Pyrenees". "A very important change" to "give visibility to Catalan identity". He does not know if the Council of State will want to deny Catalan identity, but there are two favorable precedents for name changes, such as that of Côtes d'Armor, in Brittany, which was what the Bretons wanted.

At the same time, the vice-president of the departmental council – with a socialist, communist and Catalanist majority – and former mayor of Elna, Nicolas Garcia, points out that "the result will be close, but if we win by one vote, it's enough". In his opinion, "France will not accept Catalan Country" and that is why it has been excluded and "Catalan Pyrenees will cost them", but it is possible. "You can make reproaches, but we are the departmental council that has made a proposal", he concludes. He believes that "Catalan identity would have legal reinforcement and economically it would be a plus", while "for Aliot it would be an important defeat" because "it is a strong issue for the far-right", as demonstrated by the fact that Perpignan has left the Public Office of the Catalan Language creating a "Roussillon" entity and that the radical right-wing Elna City Council "has eliminated the Catalanidad service" for cultural and linguistic promotion.

Regarding the low turnout, he admits that "these are not elections to choose deputies or mayors and people are not so motivated", but emphasizes that "more than 10% or 15% turnout is not bad". In the referendum ten years ago for the region's name, only 204,000 (3.5%) of the 5.7 million voters voted. However, Catalanist activist Pere Manzanares points out that "if the consultation had been held a year later" after the regional change "it would have had more follow-up", while now "there has been a wear and tear" that has "surprised" him.

He noticed that there are North Catalans with a "link to the Eastern Pyrenees" and "many people regret that there will be cost consequences for the change". Elements that would have influenced "the very low participation", in addition to another issue: "more than half of the people were not born in Northern Catalonia and they don't care". He is also cautious about the outcome. From here a fear arises: "If Catalan Pyrenees and Eastern Pyrenees are neck and neck and there is little mobilization, it is not certain that the proposal will be made because the victory would not be clear enough to make it", he warns, adding that the factor of the "Jacobin judges" of the State Council may negatively affect it. For Manzanares, if it succeeds, it would be "a satisfaction", especially if afterwards "the institutions provide means in defense of the language and culture".

Turbulence

The delegate of Plataforma per la Llengua in the territory, Gautier Sabrià, maintains that "few people have voted", among other things because "holding such a consultation in the summer was not the most strategic". While the entity was campaigning intensely, it saw the economic argument against change proliferating in a poor territory, which "is not seen as a priority". "It has not been explained enough to people" by the department and the parties, who "have not taken much of a stance", nor by the majority of local politicians. Thus, he concludes that "it has been an anonymous consultation". All in all, a victory "would be a celebration" because "it positions differently on the map, marks identity, and is a way of affirming that those who live in Northern Catalonia are Catalan", giving cultural and linguistic visibility.

The leader of Sí al País Català, Jordi Vera, emphasizes that "the consultation is not very mobilizing" because it is "held at the wrong time", "with the most popular name removed" – País Català –. "Education in Catalan is in more danger than ever, institutions are abandoning aid to Catalan like Perpinyà and the Departmental Council and the region are reducing it... We have so many social, demographic problems that the debate seems untimely". Vera warns that without "great mobilization", it "may come to nothing".