I read up on Catalonia the other day. 1) For the last 30 years (!) they have invited Muslims to emigrate to their area in an open-arms (sentimentalist) sort of way. They wanted immigrants who would be willing to learn Catalan rather than Spanish, and figured this was the way to get them.
It did not happen, of course. They have hoards of Muslim immigrants who have not assimilated, who have not learned the language, and who are ‘bad house guests.’
When Madrid warned them of this recent ISIS truck attack at the very open-air market where it did happen, they refused to acknowledge the danger because ‘Madrid just can’t tell US what to do.” So, they were warned but they ignored it. That is just plain stupid.
They have absolutely no infrastructure set up to govern themselves. None. No government, no buildings, no laws - no nothing.
That, to me, makes them hot-heads. The vote would have been irrelevant and not implemented because it was all noise.
WHY did they bash heads? That I have not researched yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that it was in part Victims making sure they got to be Victims on the world stage.
just my take on it.