Autumn 2017 has seen another year of anarchy in the Spanish region of Catalonia, which has been demanding independence from Spain since the Civil War of the late 1930s when Franco was in power.

Well into the new Millennia and the Catalans have had enough of Spanish rule, demanding multiple referendums to see the region separate from the state.

However, the Spanish government have denied the region of 7.5 million people on the repeated notion that some of the proposals do not meet their voting criteria.

This has caused civil unrest across the province as demonstrations in the past fortnight have shown how Spanish authorities have handled the situation.

Many civilians sustained injuries at the hands of police denying their right to vote at polling stations as the government declared the vote illegal.

Catalonia’s Vice President of the Separatist coalition, Oriol Junqueras, has revealed to the press that Spain has given the Catalan’s no choice but to declare a new republic amidst the ruckus caused earlier in October.

Most countries around the world, especially those in the European Union following the agreed constitution, run under democratic rule.

The fact that Spain are denying a whole ethnic group the right to vote for their independence just comes to show that Spain is still a dictatorship in 2017.

We as citizens of the developed world and the EU have always looked down upon regimes leading up to the 21st century as it goes against our beliefs of freedom.

Yet when we are living in one of the most progressive eras in history, we fail to take action as a Union against Spain for such unjust actions against millions of people.

We live in the digital age where virality has sparked revolutions over night and exposed big names to crimes that have been unreported for decades.

Denying people the right to vote can only lead to more destruction and a modern day example of this is the 2011 Arab Spring.

Multiple dictatorships did manage to fall, however, it was too late to bring control into the region as it remains one of the most unstable places on the planet.

By continuing the denial of voting rights, Spain are asking for another civil war in a Union that hasn’t had a war on domestic soil for the past quarter century.

The importance voting here in Britain has been demonstrated in the last few years despite people not agreeing with the outcome of the results.

We’ve had elections for the Scottish referendum, General Election, Brexit and Snap election in a space of three years.

Living here has shown us that if we do not agree to something, we decide democratically to what outcome there will be.

It shows that the voice of the working man and woman is what keeps this country running.

If you lose the faith of the people, there is no power.

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