Catalonia news: Mounting tensions keep British tourists away as Catalonia defies Madrid

Tourism has been hit by a 22 per cent drop in flight
bookings to the region since the illegal independence
referendum on October 1 and experts warned this
would worsen if the emergency situation deteriorates
further.
The loss of revenue would spread well beyond
Catalonia ’s borders and is already set to cost the
Spanish treasury tens of millions of euros.
It is a further headache for Spanish Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy, under mounting pressure from Brussels
to find a quick resolution to Spain’s worst
constitutional crisis since the Civil War in the 1930s.
Madrid ordered the sacking of Catalonia’s regional
government on Friday and called a snap election for
December 21 following a decision by the Catalonian
parliament to support a call for independence.
Police chief Josep Lluis Trapero, who had become a
household name following August’s terror attack in
Barcelona, was also dismissed.
He had been hailed a hero to secessionists after his
force took a much softer stance than national police in
enforcing a government ban on the referendum.
His dismissal caused further concern over how the
Catalonian police force would respond if ordered to
evict sacked leader Carles Puigdemont and his
government.
Spain on the brink:
VIOLENCE erupts as
police chief sacked
'No EU state will
recognise Catalonia'
Brussels turns on
Barcelona
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A demonstrator held up the Spanish national flag as
crowds took to the streets of Madrid
He also
faces
arrest,
which
would
prove a
trigger
point
for
further
unrest.
On Friday Mr Rajoy tried to defuse tensions.
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He said: “I ask for calm from all Spaniards. The rule of
law will restore legality in Catalonia.”
Asked about Mr Puigdemont’s impending arrest,
government minister Mendez de Vigo said judicial and
political powers were separate in Spain and that “no
one is above the law”.
Mr Puigdemont, who has refused to stand down, has
called for peaceful “democratic opposition” to the
central government’s takeover.
He accused Madrid of “premeditated aggression”
against the will of the Catalonian people.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
In a memo, senior officers urged regional police
members to remain neutral in the face of civil unrest.
It said: “Given that there is likely to be an increase in
gatherings and rallies of citizens in all the territory and
that there are people of different thoughts, we must
remember that it is our responsibility to guarantee the
security of all and help these to take place without
incident.”
Mr Trapero’s dismissal was sanctioned by Interior
Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido, and Spain’s High Court
ordered the seizing of his passport as part of an
investigation for alleged sedition, although it stopped
short of ordering his arrest.
On Friday EU President Jean-Claude Juncker revealed
tensions in Brussels over the crisis, warning “there
isn’t room in Europe for other cracks” after Catalonia’s
vote to secede from Spain.
He said the EU wants “to respect the Spanish
constitutional and legal order.
We are not in favour of letting Europe develop so that
tomorrow we’d have 95 member states.
Catalonia latest pictures:
Violent clashes erupt
Sat, October 28, 2017
Catalonia's parliament voted to declare
independence from Spain and proclaim a republic,
just as Madrid is poised to impose direct rule on
the region to stop it in its tracks
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Agents of the Mossos d'esquadra (Regional Police)
in front of the headquarters of Catalunya Radio in
Barcelona, Spain, 27 October 2017. The radio
station was allegedly attacked by a small group of
demonstrators with Spanish flags [EPA]
EPA 1 of 8
Twenty-eight is enough for now.” However, Brussels’
decision not to take Spain to task for the violence
used by police on October 1 earned more criticism last
night.
Jean-Guy Talamoni, the nationalist president of the
Corsican Assembly, said: “What’s troubling is this
unfailing support for Madrid, which has used extremely
violent means to prevent peaceful people from voting.”
Catalonians remain optimistic as they await events to
unfold, a former British diplomat said last night.
Mike Thom, who has lived in Barcelona since 1999,
added: “I can tell you there’s no fear among those
Catalonians who want independence. They are pretty
calm.
“The only violence I’ve seen is by skinheads
supporting unity. But the next few days are going to
be tense. It’s difficult to know whether Catalonians
will remain peaceful once Carles Puigdemont is
arrested.”
Yesterday Pope Francis urged the EU to “recover the
sense of being a single community” if it wants a future
of prosperity and fairness for all.
Tourism experts told how the crisis was already
permeating to British holidaymakers.
More than 800,000 Britons booked hotel rooms in
Barcelona last year alone but concern over violent
protests, supported by Foreign Office travel advice,
could see that figure plummet.
Olivier Jager, chief executive of travel analysts
ForwardKeys, said: “Domestic political unrest almost
always deters visitors and that is what we are seeing
now – a 22 per cent collapse in international flight
bookings for Catalonia.
“This will also have a knock-on effect on other parts of
Spain because many visitors arriving in Catalonia will
travel around the country.
“If the political crisis worsens, I fear we will see a
further decline in bookings. This trend will be of great
concern because travel and tourism represents such a
large proportion of the Spanish economy, over 14 per
cent of GDP.”
At present, the Foreign Office is advising tourists to be
aware of sudden protests which could turn violent.
But it was told by experts to be more specific.
The Catalan flag flying during a protest in London’s
Piccadilly Circus yesterday
Independent travel consultant Frank Behany said:
“There were already problems over the summer, with
locals protesting about the high level of tourists in
Barcelona. Now, on top of this, we have this political
powder keg. This isn’t just about Barcelona. It’s about
other regions in Spain, Salou, Loretta de Mar and even
Gerona. It’s going to have a massive ripple effect
which will cost tens of millions of euros.”
He added: “There is a bit of a problem with how the
Foreign Office gives out its travel advice. It aims to
please too many people. Tourists are not economic
foot soldiers.
“What we have been finding is that British
holidaymakers are having to spend more time
researching to make their own risk assessments.”
Last night national police sources in Madrid warned
that the crisis would affect counter-terror operations.
A senior intelligence official said: “The situation is bad
enough already with exchanges of information
between the Mossos [local police] and the Civil Guard
and the National Police and we fear it will only worsen
because of the independence declaration.”
In London, pro-independence protesters gathered in
Piccadilly yesterday while in Madrid, nationalists
marched carrying the national Spanish flag.

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