London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

‘Beyond belief!’: Labour leadership hopeful enrages Scots after using Catalonia as example of how to ‘beat divisive nationalism’

‘Beyond belief!’: Labour leadership hopeful enrages Scots after using Catalonia as example of how to ‘beat divisive nationalism’

Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy has incensed Scots after citing Catalonia, where Catalans have faced severe police brutality in their quest for independence, as an example of how to beat “narrow and divisive nationalism.”

In an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Neil on Wednesday night, Nandy was asked to expand on her proposals to set up an international commission that will look for historical examples of “how nationalism has been beaten by social justice.”

The leadership contender argued that Britain should be learning lessons from other countries around the world on how to defeat nationalism, using Spain’s handling of Catalan independence protests as a beacon for social justice advocates, like her.


Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nandy’s views really haven’t gone down well among Scottish people on social media. The idea that it’s perfectly reasonable to use Catalonia, where politicians and demonstrators were locked up and police violence was dished out, as an example of how to deal with Scottish nationalism has prompted an avalanche of angry responses.

One person tweeted: “To use the example of the Madrid based brutality towards the Catalonia’s [sic], is beyond belief !!!” While another suggested that if fellow Labour leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey, a Corbynite, had used Venezuela as an “example to follow” the media would have crucified her, however, they treat Nandy’s views in suggesting the UK “replicate Spain’s extremism” as “uncontroversial.”

Other Scots posted images of bloodied Catalan protesters and baton-wielding Spanish police threatening citizens to show their disgust at Nandy’s inflammatory comments.



Catalan independence remains a hot topic in Spain more than two years after the referendum was stopped in its tracks by the Spanish government and a heavy-handed police operation. Both secessionists and unionists have repeatedly hit the streets in massive demonstrations throughout the region ever since.

In the aftermath, former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont fled the country and is now effectively exiled in Belgium.

Former Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras was sentenced to 13 years in jail last October. Junqueras was among nine separatist leaders who were sentenced to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition, for their part in the region’s failed 2017 independence bid.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×