Tabarnia facts for kids
Tabarnia (Tabàrnia in Catalan) is a suggested name for a part of Catalonia, Spain. It's a satirical political idea created by a group called "Barcelona is not Catalonia." This group wanted to respond to the Catalonian separatists in a funny but serious way. Their main goal is to create a new region in Spain. This new region would include some areas (called Comarcas or Comarques) from the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona.
The name "Tabarnia" is a new word made from parts of the names of the two provinces: Tarragona and Barcelona. The areas they suggest for Tabarnia are:
- Tarragonès/Tarragonés
- Baix Camp/Bajo Campo
- Baix Penedès/Bajo Penedés
- Alt Penedés/Alto Penedés
- Garraf
- Baix Llobregat/Bajo Llobregat
- Barcelonès/Barcelonés
- Vallès Oriental/Vallés Oriental
- Vallès Occidental/Vallés Occidental
- El Maresme
People who support Tabarnia believe this area is somewhat like the old County of Barcelona. However, its size is quite different.
Contents
What is Tabarnia?
The idea of Tabarnia started with the group "Barcelona is not Catalonia." On September 24, 2012, this group decided on their rules and plans. They wanted to become an Autonomous Community within Spain, just like Catalonia is.
The word "Tabarnia" was first used in 2015. It described a part of the Catalan coast and the area around Barcelona. This idea came up because of disagreements with the Catalan Government (Generalitat Catalana). The supporters of Tabarnia felt that Catalonia had two very different parts. One part supported separating from Spain, and the other part (Tabarnia) wanted to stay with Spain.
Why Tabarnia?
People who support Tabarnia want their area to separate from the Catalan independence movement. They believe that certain areas near Barcelona and Tarragona should become their own Autonomous Community within Spain.
In the regional elections of 2015 and 2017, political parties that wanted to stay part of Spain won more votes in some of these areas. These areas included Tarragonès, Baix Penedès, Garraf, and Baix Llobregat, as well as the city of Tarragona. However, in the city of Barcelona, which is the largest city, parties supporting independence won.
The Tabarnia supporters use arguments similar to those used by Catalan separatists. For example, they talk about money and taxes. They say that their area gives more money to Catalonia than it gets back, just like Catalan separatists say Catalonia gives more money to Spain.
Tabarnia in the News
In December 2017, the Tabarnia idea became very popular on Twitter. It was a "trending topic," meaning many people were talking about it online. Since then, it has been mentioned in news reports in Spain and other countries. The supporters say that "Tabarnia is a historical region that was once the old County of Barcelona."
How People Reacted
The rise of the Tabarnia movement caused some tension among Catalan separatists. This is because Tabarnia used the same arguments for separation that the Catalan separatists used. This made it difficult for separatists to argue against Tabarnia without contradicting themselves.
The area that Tabarnia would cover includes very important places for Catalonia. For example, The Port of Barcelona and Barcelona–El Prat Airport are in this area. These are key for Catalonia's economy. Many rich industrial areas are also in places where most voters want to stay part of Spain.
Some newspapers have said that Tabarnia's idea is a way to show how strange the idea of nationalism can be in today's Europe. Many Tabarnians believe that if more international news outlets pay attention to their movement, it could weaken the Catalan independence project. This is because Tabarnia is simply following the separatists' own logic.
There is also an online petition on Change.org. This petition asks the Spanish Congress of Deputies to consider creating this new autonomous region.
Images for kids
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Tabarnia's movement protest on 4 March 2018 against Catalan independence from Spain
See also
In Spanish: Tabarnia para niños
