Quoting Carlos Rubal. who is someone that responded on Youtube,
\\I follow Colbert regularly on Youtube and find him a clever, witty, bold comedian that gives the late night formula an interesting edge, using political commentary (among other things) to rise above the pure entertainment value of the show. However, I find this bit extremely deceiving and utterly disappointing... I have worked and studied in the US for 4 years (I even share alma mater with Colbert...), I now live back in my home country Spain, and I have many friends in Catalonia. This piece is very poorly researched, and makes statements and assumptions that are very obviously false. Which is quite ironic, given how Colbert relentlessly calls out Trump's tactics on fake news. For instance, he assumes that all catalans want to be independent. Society in Catalonia is literally split in half, with friends and families that won't speak to each other on this issue. And where those who are not nationalists are the ones who are mobbed when they speak their minds in public, or when they want their children to get an education in Spanish in a public school, as is their right. Second, that Catalonia was a nation or independent political entity in the past. This is just not true. The union of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castille (not Spain, as Colbert wrongly quotes) gave way to Spain in the late 15th century, and Catalonia was a small part of Aragon, a mere county among many of them in both kingdoms. Third, that Catalonia is somehow being robbed by the rest of Spain, and has been traditionally oppressed by Spain, which is the crock of bullshit that the Catalan nationalists try to sell everywhere. Franco is indeed dead (he gets that one right), and he was a dictator (no arguments there), but he was an equal opportunity dictator, i.e. anyone that openly opposed his regime was persecuted, whether socialist, communist, nationalist... And he was smart enough to keep the Catalan industrialists happy at the time, by making sure they could sell their products all over Spain with as little competition as possible. Since the transition to democracy, Catalonia enjoys levels of self government that many Republican Nations in Europe don't grant to their regions or states, including control over public education, healthcare, and even their own police. And yes, Spain is a Monarchy, but most importantly it's also a parliamentary democracy, with a constitution that was voted by a qualified majority of the population, and where the king has an institutional role, with no executive power whatsoever. That Constitution can be changed, and no one is persecuted for expressing their desire to do so, or for defending independence of one region from the rest of Spain. Comparing the independence of the US from a colonial, absolutist power in the 18th century and the independence of Catalonia from a democratic regime that makes part of the EU is just pure demagogy. The fact is that the Catalan government declared independence without a qualified majority in his own Parliament, and disregarding Spain's Constitution, which is what makes their own government legitimate. That's why they're in jail, not because of their ideas. Stephen, it's OK (hell, it's healthy) to make fun of politics, to use the power of humor and irony to call out what you think is wrong, but next time.... Please get your facts straight, or people might think you're just a demagogue.
I do not know shit about Spain, but I am assuming that this is what the OP is referring to.
Maybe?
Honestly, I'm looking to youtube comments for clarity so shits bad.
