Cambridge expert says stopping the referendum would be an atrocity

The professor for Catalan Studies at Cambridge University, Dominic Keown, thinks any attempt to stop the referendum in Catalonia planned for October 1 would be an “atrocity”. Keown, who on Wednesday took part in a conference at the CIDOB think tank, said that the lack of initiative shown by the Spanish government is causing perplexity and concern in the UK.

Keown also highlighted the difference in how Westminster handled Scotland’s drive for independence compared with Madrid approach to Catalonia. The expert even called the persecution over the purchase of ballot boxes “ridiculous” to Anglo-Saxon eyes, a culture in which the right to the self-determination is a given, as the experiences of Quebec or Scotland show.

The professor also explained that the Catalan process is known quite well in the UK and warned that any “hard” response by the part of the State would provoke a “strong reaction” in the Anglo-Saxon world.

Talking to Catalan News, the expert also pointed out that if Madrid does not make a very significant offer, he doesn’t see anything to suggest that the referendum will not be held on October 1. Moreover, he highlighted the concern caused among politicians by the Spanish government’s lack of initiative in the Catalan question, a situation Keown personally considers “severe”.

Keown also remarked on the increasing attention of the Anglo-Saxon media to Catalonia’s situation and the referendum. He suggested that the issues of Brexit and Gibraltar had helped put the Catalan issue on the agenda of British politics. The expert explained that the all-party parliamentary group on Catalonia in Westminster “is not official but has an important influence.” According to Keown, the recent visit of the Catalan Parliament President Carme Forcadell to the House of Commons made a very important impact.