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Tabarnia

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Proposed extent of Tabarnia.
Proposed flag of Tabarnia.
Theoretical extent of Tabarnia (left), compared to the results of the 2017 Catalan regional election. Red-colored regions supported constitutionalist parties; blue-colored regions supported separatist parties.

Tabarnia is a fictional or proposed region within Catalonia[1] as well as a satirical parody of the Catalan independence movement.[2][3][4][5] Tabarnia is also a movement that according to its founders could evolve into a political project.[6][7] They advocate and claimed that they would seek a referendum[8][9] to create a new Spanish autonomous community that would decide to remain part of Spain in case of a hypothetical Catalan independence. It would encompass the current Catalan comarques of Tarragonés, Baix Camp, Baix Penedès, Alt Penedès, Garraf, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Vallès Oriental, Vallès Occidental and Maresme.

Proponents believe the area somewhat corresponds to the historic County of Barcelona, although its extent is considerably different.[10]

This proposal, from a platform created in 2011, was shown to map the electoral results of the Catalan regional election of 21 December 2017, which provoked renewed interest. The word 'Tabarnia' went viral on 26 December 2017, reaching worldwide top-trending status with over 648K mentions.

The reaction from Catalan pro-secession movements has been very critical,[11] with some separatists using the same arguments against the proposal to create Tabarnia as those used by those who oppose the creation of an independent Catalan Republic.[12] Jaume Vives, spokesman for the Tabarnia proposal, stated: "It is starting to achieve its objective, that the (Catalan) independentists start debunking their own arguments".[13]

Movement

Proponents of Tabarnia wish to distance themselves from the Catalan separatist movement and reclaim the right of a number of territories near the area of Barcelona and Tarragona to constitute themselves as an autonomous community within Spain. In the 2015 and 2017 Catalan regional elections, parties opposed to secession (mainly Citizens, PSC and PP) received a majority of votes and seats in Tabarnia as a whole and five coastal comarques within this proposed area (Barcelonès, Tarragonès, Baix Penedès, Garraf and Baix Llobregat, Valles Occidental) including the city of Tarragona which together encompass well over 50% of the population of Catalonia.[14] In the city of Barcelona they received a majority of votes in the wider city comarque Barcelonès, yet not in the city itself.

Proponents tend to mirror arguments used by Catalan separatism in regards to Spain such as fiscal arguments. The term "Tabarnia" is a neologism based on the names of Tarragona and Barcelona, the two Catalan provinces where support for separatism is lower,[15] although in last Catalan election, Tarragona province showed more support for separatism than constitutionalism.[16]

The movement has a legal basis in the Canadian Clarity Act, according to which regions opposed to Quebecois separatism are to remain within Canada in case of a secession, as well as Articles 143 and 144 of the Spanish Constitution, which allows the formation of autonomous communities.[17]

An ongoing online petition is taking place at Change.org in order to be sent to the Spanish Congress of Deputies to consider the creation of this new autonomous region.[18] So far it has received more than 275 000 signatures.[19]

Political Claims

Tabarnians claim vote representation in Catalonia to be unfair across the four different provinces Lleida, Girona, Tarragona and Barcelona, resulting in unfair economic investment. Under the current electoral law, in the province of Barcelona 48.521 votes are needed to elect one representative in the Catalan Parlament for the 20.915 votes needed in Lleida, resulting in a 2.3 ratio. Tarragona requires 31.317 votes and Girona 30.048. Catalan separatists argue the current electoral law ensures political representation for areas with a lower population density while tabarnians argue the law has not been revised because historically Lleida and Girona have always had a majority of voters in favor of the separatist political parties that have kept them in government.[20]

The same way Catalan separatist have used an interpretation of economic data to argue they have an unfavourable finance balance towards the rest of Spain, Tabarnians argue Tarragona and Barcelona underrepresentation in the Catalan Parlament has resulted in unfavourable finance balance towards their region, also backed by similar interpretation of economic data.[21]

The Tabarnia Movement is still in its early days and is too soon to know how their political claims will unfold. Some Tabarnians simply believe this movement to be a satirical response that mirrors separatist with their own logic. Some Tabarnians demand that, in case a hypothetycal referendum for Catalonia independence was held, the seven different veguerias (Vegueria) be decided separately, so "Tarragona" and "Àmbit metropolità" are not declared independent against their democratic will. Some Tabarnians have grown so tired of the Catalan separatist movement, that seem committed to celebrate a referendum in October 2018 to split from Catalonia as a Spanish autonomous region whether the previous referendum takes place or not. Some Tabarnians want to be declared a new autonomous region, which they argue is legally plausible under the present Spanish Constitution of 1978.

Demonym

On 27 December 2017, following public enquiry by Spanish citizens, the Real Academia Española (Royal Academy of Spanish Language) informed through their Twitter account that the most appropriate demonym for Tabarnia would be «Tabarnés» among other possible options such as «tabarniense», «tabarniano» o «tabinososano».[22]

Hypothetical Territory and Historical Revisionism

Catalan regional plan 1995, used as the basis for different veguerias projects.
  •   Àmbit metropolità
  •   Alt Pirineu i Aran
  •   Tarragona
  •   Comarques Centrals
  •   Comarques Gironines
  •   Ponent
  •   Terres de l'Ebre

Tabarnia is a fictional territorial proposal that does not correspond to any present political or administrative unit.[23] However, following a similar logic of Historical Revisionism that Catalan separatists use, Tabarnians find a precedent of territorial political and administrative unit at a certain point in history that justifies their existence: According to their own publication, the County of Barcelona, during the Middle Ages, had a similar territory to the one proposed by Tabarnians, today.[24] Most sources consider Tabarnia to be just a fictional region.[25]

The present day official distribution of Catalonia's counties grouped in "Veguerias" (Vegueria), show a territorial distribution where "Tarragona" and "Àmbit metropolità" match the territory proposed for Tabarnia.[26]

Controversy

It has been argued that the rise of this movement creates tension among the Catalan separatist movement because it serves as a mirror of their argumental contradiction.[27] By using their same arguments for independence,[4] it forces Catalan separatists to contradict themselves by using "constitutionalist" counter-arguments in order to discredit the Tabarnia movement.[11][28][29]

By proposing the hipothetical separation of Tabarnia from Catalonia, the founders of the Tabarnia project want for the separatist politicians to realize that not all Catalans want to leave Spain and that a declaration of independence could trigger similar movements within the territory, to the point of absurdity. According to the dean of the school of international relations at IE University in Madrid, it sparked a debate over “who is to vote and when” in a democracy and he questioned whether regions should be the ones entitled to decide on their independence or if cities would also qualify? Or should it be neighborhoods within cities? [23]

According to Salvador Garcia Ruiz, the chief executive of Ara, a Catalan pro-independence newspaper, Tabarnia is nothing more than a sour response to the results of the Catalan regional election, 2017 in which the independentists did not lose their majority over the parliament. He labeled Tabarnia as Peter Pan’s “Neverland” for the unionists. Podemos' leader Pablo Iglesias was also critical with the movement because he claimed it was fueling an unhelpful "war of flags" but the spokesman for Tabarnia claims that the goal was never to break up Catalonia, but rather ending Catalan secessionism and all its disruptive consequences. [23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Burgen, Stephen (16 January 2018). "Fictional Catalan region of Tabarnia appoints first president". the Guardian.
  2. ^ "'Tabarnia', el reverso satírico del independentismo catalán - RTVE.es" (in Spanish). RTVE.es. 27 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Tabarnia, región ficticia con ansias de secesión de la Cataluña independentista" (in Spanish). France 24. 27 December 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Tabarnia - the 'region' that wants to leave Catalonia". The Local. 27 December 2017.
  5. ^ "The Catalan independence parody with its own president". BBC. 24 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Fictional Tabarnia is officially a movement". Euronews. 17 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Encontramos a los creadores de Tabarnia: "Si los 'indepes' siguen con la matraca, tendremos referéndum tabarnés" - El Mundo" (in Spanish). elmundo.es. 31 December 2017.
  8. ^ "We find the creators of Tabarnia. If the independists continue with this "story" we will have a Tabarnian referendum" (in Spanish). elmundo.es. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  9. ^ "The promoters of Tabarnia are willing to be a threat to separatism" (in Spanish). elmundo.es. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  10. ^ "The Latest: Satirical campaign for Barcelona secession a hit". Fox News. 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  11. ^ a b Baquero, David Alandete, Camilo S. (27 December 2017). "Tabarnia: the hoax independence movement trending now in Spain". El País.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Leask, David (27 December 2017). "Cry Freedom for Tabarnia, a country that has never existed". The Herald (Glasgow).
  13. ^ "¿Qué es Tabarnia?" (in Spanish). El Periódico de Catalunya. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  14. ^ https://resultats.parlament2017.cat/09AU/DAU09000CR.htm?lang=es
  15. ^ "Tabarnia, por una Barcelona fuera de Cataluña" (in Spanish). ABC. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Resultados de las elecciones catalanas en la provincia de Tarragona: el constitucionalismo gana un escaño". ABC (in European Spanish).
  17. ^ "Tabarnia, el golpe de realidad del independentismo" (in Spanish). Cadena COPE. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  18. ^ "100.000 signatures to request consideration of Autonomous Region of Tabarnia in Spanish Congress" (in Spanish). elcatalan.es. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Tabarnia: The parody with its own president". BBC News. 24 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Vote representation in Catalonia" (in Spanish). Bcnisnotcat.es. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  21. ^ "Economic investment disparity in Barcelona" (in Spanish). Bcnisnotcat.es. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  22. ^ "RAE demonym" (in Spanish). El País. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  23. ^ a b c Minder, Raphael (2018). "Fake Country Carved From Catalonia Means to Mock Separatism". The New York Times.
  24. ^ "bcnisnotcat Tabarnia, territory" (in Spanish). bcnisnotcat.com. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  25. ^ Madrid, Graham Keeley (6 January 2018). "Fictitious region of Tabarnia seeks independence from Catalonia". The Times.
  26. ^ "Catalan Parlament approves new territorial distribution" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  27. ^ "Tabarnia: The new Catalan secessionist movement boosted by Twitter". Euronews. 27 December 2017.
  28. ^ "Por qué Tabarnia está sacando de quicio a los independentistas". El Independiente (in European Spanish). 27 December 2017.
  29. ^ "Margallo and Joan Tardà during a congress session of foreign affairs" (in Spanish). Youtube video. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
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