What the Catalans learned from Gene Sharp Sharp: the techniques to destroy the Spanish state (El Con
Both the Generalitat de Catalunya and the parties that support it, and especially the CUP, have long initiated a strategy to implement the recommendations of the American
The CUP and the Catalan government have copied the dictates of the American Gene Sharp to design their strategy of 'open war' against the Spanish state in the last two years. Sharp is a American writer, philosopher and political scientist who is the standard bearer of the nonviolent struggle against power and theorist of strategies that advocate that if citizens do not obey the orders of leaders of state structures, they are left without power.
Following this slogan, both the Generalitat de Catalunya and the parties that support it, and especially the CUP, have long initiated a strategy to implement its recommendations and make the Spanish state falter, creating the perfect storm from which the independent Catalan republic arose .
President Carles Puigdemont borrowed from the North American the application of one of his crucial points: " Establish double sovereignty and parallel governments". Thus, from the Generalitat and the parties that govern it, it has been strongly insisted that there are "two legitimacies": that of the current laws and that of the laws suspended by the TC , when in legal terms this is a fallacious dichotomy.
Sharp's points and his theories also include "seeking imprisonment to overload prisons for solidarity" (CUP and mayors of the Association of Municipalities of Catalonia flocked to self-incrimination in court to overrun the courts) or pressure psychological to the adversary, reaching the point of "making judgments upside down: accusing the accuser".
The text recommended as alternatives to disobedience "slow and reluctant compliance" with orders, not obedience, but "without fuss, without advertising, with discretion", the "masked disobedience appears to be obeyed" (as the performance of the Mossos d'Esquadra during 1-O and eve ), refusal to disperse a meeting or concentration, sit - ins or "civil disobedience" illegitimate laws " (just the slogans that promote the Catalan government and independence parties) .
In the future, the mechanisms that Sharp recommends, such as the " social boycott of social groups to induce them to join the resistance", the " selective boycott of voluntary collaborators, soldiers or police", the suspension of social activities or sports (which was not achieved with Barca game this weekend), the strikes student (the student sector is controlled by the separatists through the Sindicat d'Estudiants Catalan Countries) or refuge in 'inviolate' places, such as temples or embassies (in the case of Barcelona, they are consulates). In a third phase, they will come on the scene consumer boycotts to certain products or certain businesses, boycott producers, distributors, the development of "blacklists merchants , " the close of business to "not allow entry to workers "(curiously, what the government of the Generalitat itself did with the official buildings on Tuesday) or the withdrawal of bank deposits.
Sharp's strategy also includes other actions, ranging from letters of support to statements of organizations, formalization of pressure groups, ostentation of flags and symbols, " symbolic noises with whistles, rattles , bells or sirens," "symbolic recoveries to visualize that land or buildings are being returned, " verbal repudiation of dissidents (as was done in the case of Joan Manuel Serrat , who opposed the referendum), to carry out vigils (" usually at night, with constant, long and prolonged guards " ), marches to significant sites, parades, motor caravans (such as tractors made during the last week), assemblies of protest or support and a gesture that during this strike became very obvious: "Back your back" - was performed in the seats before police stations or barracks of the Civil Guard.
In this operation, the committees for the defense of the referendum (CDR), a kind of urban militias (and similar in their composition to the committees for the defense of the Cuban revolution) are of vital importance , which, under the approval of the Catalan Government , are used as 'popular' shock troops. "The CDR are the self-defense structure of the CUP , formed by various alternative and social movements to monitor the development of the roadmap towards independence. In them have been integrated many alternative organizations, anarchists, Red Stream and youth, "admits a member of these groups to El Confidential.
The CDRs have been training for three months ("the time we have been negotiating with anarchist groups and alternative movements for their integration into the structure," say the sources) and now they have become the commanders who take the initiative in any situation, from concentrations before barracks or police stations (for now) to demonstrations in different places. And when will the CDRs be operational? "It is not known, because there is no written document on them. In principle, it should be until the proclamation of independence, but it is possible that they remain operative during the constituent period that opens after the same .
The CDR are responsible, at this time, to lead the 'citizen' agitation , taking advantage of popular discontent following the police actions of October 1. "They do not depend on anybody, only of the CUP" , admit the sources consulted. From sources close to the information services of the State Security Corps and Forces, this situation is seen as very worrying. "We are not sure that the Catalan government can control these structures at the moment. Moreover, there are indications that Puigdemont has been out of hand and, at the moment, the street is the radicals of the CUP , even by members of the Catalan government or by senior officials. "
According to these sources, the tension will increase in the coming days. "The CUP needs to tighten the street, and even the declaration of independence will maintain the mobilizations and is even expected to intensify its toughness ." In the face of this, the Catalan Government has so far determined that the law of the street is imposed by radicals, but that is a double-edged sword, which can turn against it at any time.
