“It’s time to show that even small steps, if taken by many of us, can change a lot,” said Catalan pro-independence group Omnium Cultural, one of several organizations that have called on Catalans to withdraw money from banks that have recently moved. their headquarters elsewhere amid the current political crisis.
He argued that pressure should be put on the financial institutions that had taken the decision to leave Catalonia.
“These banks are traitors,” store owner Oriol Mauri told the AP news agency. “They need to see that many of us are angry.”
On Friday morning, people were seen queuing at branches of CaixaBank and other bank branches in downtown Barcelona, most of them withdrawing 150 or 160 euros ($188) from ATMs. The amounts were closest to 155, in reference to the Spanish constitutional article with which the central government plans to revoke some of Catalonia’s autonomous powers to prevent regional politicians from advancing secession.
Target the money
CaixaBank and Banco Sabadell are the largest Catalan lenders and have joined hundreds of other financial institutions in moving their official registration out of Catalonia.
Ana Coll, one of those who made a token withdrawal on Friday, said “we need to step up and do something that really hurts, and targets the money.”
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau told reporters she thought the call for cash out “probably wasn’t the smartest idea”. But she added that Madrid’s latest moves would ‘certainly mobilize even more Catalonians to fight for independence’.
hg/dd (AP, dpa)
