is a peaceful separation ever possible anywhere in the world?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41463719

Catalan medical officials said 844 people had been hurt in clashes, including 33 police. The majority had minor injuries or had suffered from anxiety attacks.

So, not exactly peaceful was it? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41460037

Czechoslovakia, 1993

Many former colonies that became independent after WW2 did so in a peaceful process.

so the key is that both sides should want the seperation

that is something entirely different actually as in order for US to take a dominant global role decolonization had to happen. Considering the financial need of France and UK, they didn't have much choice but to accept.

Irrelevant to the question, you provided no such restriction.

How can the AfD be compared to Nazis if two of its most prominent figures are a black guy born in Africa and a lesbian woman?

The first thing that came into my mind with the images of this brutality in Catalonia is when European journalists and politician criticize and mock the USA because of the Second Amendment ...

Why should people use their ethnicity or sexual orientation to hide their true political tendencies?

You mean the demonstrators should be shooting the police? Not sure that would have helped.

Thinking about it, the 2nd amentment doesn't seem to stop the US police shooting people either.

ok, my bad.

The EU speaks:

https://twitter.com/EU_Commission/st...95139197018114
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release...17-3626_en.htm

Shocked.

I never thought that being vindicated would make me feel so sick.

If it helps, the UK's buffoon of a foreign minister was equally spineless in his statement.

Of course they shouldn't be shooting the police. The police arrived and brutally assaulted them because it had no fear of retaliation.

As stated several times: The voting was illegal. So what's with the fear?
They could have let them vote, what ever the outcome, it would not have been legally valid. Story over.

The outcome could have given a clearer picture about the opinion of the Catalan and could have been a basis for analysis of an ongoing dispute. And the Spanish could have gotten all these information "for free", not having to admit/allow/give into anything.
Chance missed.

But for a fact: A government that orders part of it's populace to be attacked, physically threatened and stopped from going places is a poor government which should be dissolved. Immediately!

On of the things I do not like of my country(TR) is that the state thinks that the people exist only to serve the state. I liked Europe because of the opposite. The state is there to serve people or at least it is mutual.

What happened last weekend in Catalonia or what happened in Germany during G20 is really concerning and I know/hope that this is not really how Europe will be in the future.

I have been living in Barcelona for 6 yrs, after 5 yrs in Zurich. IMO, you are mostly right, except for the fact that Puigdemont and his party declared that if the results of the referendum is YES, then they would declare independence within 48 hours.

Additionally, his party was playing chicken with Madrid, and (again, IMO), pushing the Catalans harder and harder to create a situation that would push/provoke Madrid and the authorities into a confrontation.

Madrid did just about everything wrong and made themselves look bad to the world and to push ALL of the Catalunya residents towards secession.

Puigdemont HAS said that they would stand down IF Madrid will accept a referendum with a SET DATE. This would benefit everyone, as Madrid could use the time to educate people of the potential consequences AND set the thresholds for the referendum to be considered representative of the population of Catalunya (Unfortunately, this should have been agreed to months ago, but Madrid would not even consider it).

Right now, I do NOT believe the numbers being reported; neither the % of eligible voters who participated and certainly not that 90% of those who voted, voted Sí...

It is a mess, for sure. And now it has become even more emotional. I think Rajoy needs to resign, some members of the Guardia Civil (Franco's historical police force) need to be fired and the EU should pressure Madrid and Puigdemont/his party to return to the table.

Personally, I think the Catalan people are being used by politicos on both sides and the only upside to independence is direct access to EU money (if/when they are allowed to join) instead of sharing it with the rest of Spain. But it also adds one more relatively poor member to the EU (regardless of how rich/successful Catalunya claims to be... they want EU money!).

PS - This does NOT make me popular with my Catalan friends and most of the expats I know who live here (which is really hard for me to believe).