Repression and democracy amidst the Eventful 1-O Referendum

The eventful perspective on protest and mobilization processes stresses their transformative capacity. Notwithstanding strong opposition from the Spanish government and courts, on 1 October 2017, 2.2 million Catalans turned out to cast their vote on independence. Besides the mere act of voting, the 1-O referendum can be read as a massive contentious performance, a key turning point within the independentist cycle of mobilization. Drawing on social movement literature, in this chapter we shed light on the eventful character of the 1-O events, and how these contributed to shape a number of dimensions and features of secessionist milieus. While large civil society organizations such as the National Catalan Assembly and Òmnium Cultural took the lead of mobilization, staging several mass demonstrative events since 2010, the 1-0 events represented a landmark of civil disobedience, which were then followed by campaigns in solidarity with the prominent pro-independence figures in jail. Regarding the framing dimension, the 1-O referendum had been anticipated primarily as an expression of democratic emancipation; however, narratives of police violence and state repression of democratic rights dominated in its aftermath. Importantly, given the prior evolution of key master frames from the right to decide to secession, the 1-O also paved the ground for developing narratives around sovereignty. In short, through the comparison of prospective and retrospective components around the 1-O referendum, this chapter will illustrate how this political event influenced organizational settings, action repertoires and frames for mobilization of pro-independence actors.