Sorry but that's not true. There was a compromise between all regions and parties, but military rule was never an option. In fact, they were discussing long for an agreement that would satisfy all parties (obviously not 100%, but that's why it's a compromise)
Unfortunately I have to say it's not 100% true. The real independence movement was started from the right, look for "Artur Mas". The main slogan back then was "Spain steal from us". It's true though that Communists parties always wanted the independence, but the right parties have driven this process from the very beginning.
Lega Nord supports openly the independence of Catalunya because they are based on the same principles. Sure, there're differences, but the main idea is that they don't want to support poorer regions. Obviously they are not going to tell you that, but that's what originated the conflict.
In fact, some people in Catalunya (obviously a minority) were openly racist with other regions in Spain years ago (e.g., Extremadura, Andalucia), they even made ads in newspapers. Of course, this is not something that's really talked about.
You are not wrong. In fact, there're some suspicious that third countries support independence movements directly or indirectly. If you think about it, nowadays it's far easier to break a country from inside than starting a war.
Did you look for images? They torture the bulls by attaching burning items to their horns. Running away is the least significant part. It's a very cruel activity that end up with a lot of dead bulls.
Bull fighting was prohibited because it was originated in Spain (not the official reason though, just speculation). "Correbous" a very cruel sport as well, which it was originated in Catalunya, it's, in contrast, very much supported. So I'm not really sure it's two very different cultures.
Spain is one of the most decentralised countries in the world. Catalan government (not all catalans by the way, around 50%), at this point, only want independence.
There are two different issues here (looking at the comments)
- Github blocking the repo: Not sure if many of you know it, but the App was involved "directly or indirectly" on organising demonstrations with the purpose of blocking certain infrastructures, like airports. So I'm not really surprised that it got blocked.
- Catalonian independence movement: For those who are not up-to-date, this is a very complex topic. There are not good or bad people here. Spanish government is preventing that the country gets dismembered, specially by the rich regions who prefer not to support the poor ones (originally, they started the movement with the phrase "Spain steal from us"). Those politicians incarcerated broke the law in several occasions even after being warned, so the court decision is understandable (even if I don't agree with it). They are not the ones who need to solve a political problem, only apply the law.
In regards to solving this conflict, no side is willing to step back, so I'm afraid that this issue won't be solved on my generation. Spanish citizens strongly believe that they all (including all regions) should be able to decide the future of their country. Separatist believe that only them (Catalans) should be able to decide, so here lies the problem. The situation is not comparable to Scotland as Catalonia was never a separate entity, it was part of the Kingdom of Aragon centuries ago. There was not prior agreement between countries, in contrast with Scotland and England.