Catalunya Independence Announcement

Greeting from Spain. We imagine that some of you have been concerned by the political unrest in northeast Spain (Catalunya). The Catalunya independence movement in the Barcelona area is a politically charged but largely peaceful movement.  There have been several very large, but mostly peaceful demonstrations, which are called “manifestations” in Catalan.  Some of the demonstrations are focused on unity, keeping Catalunya part of Spain; some of the protests are for independence.  The Spanish central government has removed the president of Catalunya, President Puigdemont, from power.  He and some of his cabinet have moved to Belgium, and still encourage a peaceful movement.  New elections are scheduled for December 21, when a new president and cabinet will be elected for the Catalan region. 

We have encouraged our missionaries to avoid large crowds, but these political movements have had very little impact on the everyday life here in Barcelona.  Tourism continues unabated.  Shopping and school continue unabated, and again, we have not seen any changes in life here in the Barcelona area. 

The only violence we have been aware of was on October 1st when the vote was held for the referendum on independence.  It was a Sunday and the missionaries were in their church meetings.  There were some very disturbing images of police handling voting crowds with violence that day.   Fortunately, we have seen nothing like that since. 

We continue to encourage our missionaries to be vigilant, to be aware of their environment, and to avoid large crowds.  We are in regular contact with the Church’s Security Department, which continues to watch this situation very closely, as well as the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. Please understand that the safety of your sons and daughters are our greatest concern, and we will do whatever is necessary to ensure they stay safe.

Sincerely,

President and Hermana Dayton