Alexander GOSTEV: Chronicle of Tabarniy

“You won’t see any street performances in Barcelona, because there are no them, everything was blown away as a pierced balloon. As we were Spaniards and remain. But what kind of joke we came up with this tobaria! Although, you know, maybe it’s not a joke at all. The idea is good, especially if they try to muddle this garbage about the separation from Madrid. This separatism is in the village. " A young taxi driver, a native Barcelonets, that he emphasized a couple of times in a conversation, vaguely waved his hand somewhere to the north-west, towards Mount Tibidabo with the temple of the Holy Heart , apparently denoting, in his conviction, the boundaries of a reasonable civilization. "And we have a city here." Then, for some time, he still thoughtfully talked about big politics, periodically inserting ridiculous Spanish unprinted expressions into his speech at the address of the Catalonia Zheeneralitat and his former, now the cursory president of Carles Pububdemon , and returned to ordinary chatter on personal topics.

In January, in a familiar city, my search for clearly visible traces of the struggle for the independence of the autonomous community of Catalonia, indeed, crashed. Where, more recently, it seemed to be boiling with passions and where supporters of the department before the lenses of television cameras took pictures with federal Spanish forces of law and order , almost landing from the boats on the Catalan shores, the most ordinary, motley, cheerful and rich life of the Mediterranean megalopolis flows, full of funny scenes.

Local police officers, the same Mossos d'Esquadra , the beautiful name and impressive blue uniform of which last fall became known to the whole world, as well as their emphasized “neutrality” during well -known events, habitually lazily frowning on the illegal immigrants from Africa, who are selling from an asphalt of towels and Kovarovs spread out in the historical center Any small rubbish, and just as habitually send smiles to attractive foreigners-blondes. Their ranks, as before, at first glance, for the most part consist of muscular young handsome men, although the number of young women is increasing every year - and they seem to relate to the service and their official duties are noticeably more serious.

In this city, still speaks Spanish

The Catalan language is heard in the streets, but very infrequently, for example, from the lips of the teacher leading the “caterpillar” of younger schoolchildren for some excursion, and is perceived simply as one of the many components of the common Babylonian multilingual rumble, in which Chinese, as well as Russian speech, especially in the tourist triangle of Eshamples-Barcelonete-Montzhuik. In this city, still speaks Spanish. Unless some balconies are still abundantly decorated with striped red-yellow flags with Estelads, in some places with a white star on a blue background, elegantly distinguished against the background of a variety of linen that is drying right away.

However, nearby, often literally in the neighborhood, a sufficient number of samples of the flag of the Kingdom of Spain, bearing the proud unofficial name "La Rochigald" hangs. But occasionally it is found (from state-political) and the third option-in my opinion, the most beautiful, in which there is something medieval, unlike most of the rather faceless modern flags of European countries. This is the state banner of “independent Tabarniy” - still autonomous and virtual territorial education, the idea of creating which, nevertheless, either in a joke, or seriously, in recent weeks captures the imagination of more and more residents of the Big Barcelona.

Tabarniy flag

The very word "Tabarniy" was born in the summer of 2014, but massive popularity and fame, at the level of a colossal flash mob, it suddenly found in these Christmas and New Year holidays. It was formed, as one might guess, from the names of the two largest centers of the Catalan coast, Tarragona and Barcelona, and denotes the regional boundaries of the most economic developed, coastal part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. About 5 million 800 thousand people live here - of all 7 million 522 thousand inhabitants of autonomy, and 80 percent of its GDP is produced here.

It was in “Tabarniy” that supporters of the unity of Spain have always prevailed over the separatists , which were also shown by recent extraordinary elections to the regional parliament on December 21 - the majority of the votes in Barcelona and Tarragon were given to the origin of Ciudadanos (“Citizens”). However, in general, Catalonia has its own special local suffrage. The sparsely populated provincial western and northern regions, where the positions of the separatists are strong, are elected 15 deputies more through the college of electors than the densely populated coast, and according to the results of the deputy seats are distributed in proportion to the votes filed for candidate lists. As a result, the three separatist parties, which scored only 47.5 percent of the vote, still received a small majority in Catalonia’s parliament, 52 percent, and at the first constituent meeting, they elected another supporter of independence, Torren Rotes , from the Left Republican party.

The flag of Tabarniy is a combination of the city flags of Tarragona and Barcelona. The authors of this so far a satirical political idea, the backbone of which is the cream of Catalan business, legal and cultural elite from among those who advocate the unity of Spain, say that the appearance of Tabarny is a kind of caustic Christmas moralizing for separatists, at the same time “scarecrow” and “mirror” of their aggressive slozunks, ideas and techniques.

Tabarniya map

So far, the "Tabarnists" position themselves as a social movement, but not a party - although very close to a political organization called Barcelona, Via Fora! , that is, "Barcelona, to the exit!", Pursing the same goal. And they act with serious statements: “If they separate, and we will separate from them. They do not want to“ feed Madrid ”, and we do not want to feed“ independent Catalonia ”! And we will go as far as supporters of independence! If the Catalonia parliament and \ or Zheeneralitat in the near future will allow themselves to be unilaterally proclaimed independence, we will do everything so that the Tabarnes become so that the Tabarnes will become to the table. reality ".

Indeed, the Constitution of Spain, on which supporters of the ideas of Catalan independence are based, formally allows the “Tabarters” at any time to hold a referendum and announce the creation of their own autonomous community, with the right to further detachment - and the reverse entry into the Spanish kingdom. Or, if this is the “choice of folk masses”, a hypothetical existence in the role of an independent state - with a powerful diverse economy, a beautiful flag and a worldwide recognized tourist potential. In the end, the autonomous community of Madrid, after all, several decades ago, was part of the abolished province of New Castile. Why not?

A comic state already has a just -formed comic "Government of Tabarniy in Exile"

By the way, the comic state already has a comrade -in -law "Tabarniy Government in Exile", led by "President" by Albert Boideli , the Catalan Theater actor and director, and in the past a desperate fighter with the Franco regime. In bright software speech, with the help of video broadcasting in YouTube , Boatel in Catalan called all the Spaniards not to consider him a clown, emphasizing that he is just a modest student of Carles Puchdemon and everyone who "turned the Catalan parliament into the National Theater."

Joking jokes, but when I wrote this text, it became known that the referendum on the separation of Tabarniy from Catalonia was scheduled for October 2019. I really want to return to Barcelona more, and more than once - I wonder what kind of education will it be by this moment?

Alexander GOSTEV - International Radio Observer Freedom

Opinions expressed under the heading "Law" may not reflect the point of view of the editorial office