Italy facing its OWN Catalonia: Referendums in Lombardy and Venice could TOPPLE EU

This month the Lombardy region and the city of Venice
will both vote on new powers of autonomy at
referendums which are now taking on increasing levels
of controversy.
Previously seen as a low-scale vote on local powers,
the referendums are now experiencing symbolic
overtones following last Sunday’s Catalonian chaos.
Last weekend more than 800 people were injured by
police as a referendum on independence for Catalonia
was held - against the express wishes of leaders in
Madrid and Brussels.
And now Italy is facing similar chaos with two
referendums set to be held on October 22, although in
these instances the votes are state-approved and will
not face violent opposition.
Catalonia referendum, left, with an anti-Italian
government rally in Rome, right
The autonomy referendums for Lombardy, a region
which includes Italy's second-largest city of Milan, and
the travel hotspot of Venice will also differ from
Catalonia in that they are not binding.
The referendums will ask voters if they want their
regional council to invoke the third paragraph of Article
116 of the Italian Constitution.
This allows regions with a balanced budget to ask the
Italian government to entrust them with new powers
and a greater degree of autonomy.
The consequences of two yes votes could be
shattering for Italy, sparking other separatists
movements across the European Union nation.
Thousands protest in
Catalonia general strike
Wed, October 4, 2017
Catalonia general strike: Thousands protest over
Catalonia referendum violence.
PLAY
People gather at Spanish police headquarters to
stage a demonstration, supporting Catalonian
independence and reacting against Spanish police's
intervention, in Barcelona [Getty Images]
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Indeed the right-wing Lega Nord are already pushing
for a referendum on separating the region of Emilia-
Romagna into two sections, dividing powers and
unsettling the state.
Italy, and the EU, is looking on in concern as the
ramifications from Sunday’s Catalonia referendum
continue.
Brussels echoed Madrid in calls for the referendum to
first be cancelled and then ignored, after more than
two million people making up 90 per cent of the
turnout voted for independence.
Catalonia said this lukewarm response to the
referendum has put the EU’s reputation - and very
existence - at stake.

Amadeu Altafaj, the Catalan government’s Brussels
representative, told Politico: “The credibility and the
reputation of the European Union is at stake.
“The Catalan government calls for an urgent
international mediation, preferably European.
“If the EU is not able to protect 7.5 million of its
citizens from violence and repression, it will fail not
only to them but to the whole union.”
The result will be debated in the European Parliament
today although the tone is expected to be one of
condemnation rather than of support or assistance.
Catalonia referendum: The independence vote was
marred by police brutality
European Parliament president Antonia Tajani
confirmed the debate in a tweet which read: “I spoke
to Mariano Rajoy. The European Parliament will debate
on constitution, rule of law and fundamental rights in
Spain in light of the events in Catalonia.”
The European Commission has weakly claimed the
vote was “an internal matter for Spain”.

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