Is he a spy or a sovereigntist? At approximately 7 p.m. this evening, Barcelona police arrested a Moroccan-born man named Noureddine Ziani and informed him that he was being deported from Spain, the country where he has legally lived and worked for the past 14 years. Citing a "threat to national security," Spain's Center for National Intelligence (CNI) made the request for expulsion on May 3; it was approved earlier today by the Spanish interior ministry. The CNI report specifies that Ziani has both collaborated with the intelligence service of a foreign government and has links to Islamist extremists. But Ziani's supporters, who learned of his troubles earlier this week, suspect that the real motivation for his deportation lies a lot closer to home: for the past year, the 45-year-old businessman and religious leader has worked as liaison to the Muslim community for an organization that promotes independence for the semi-autonomous region of Catalonia from Spain. Whichever allegation proves to be true, Ziani's case offers an intriguing view of the gathering storm over Catalan independence. Although Catalans have long held a distinct cultural and historical identity from Spaniards, political conflict with the central state came to a head in the fall of 2012 when the regional government responded to intensifying conflicts over issues like taxes and language by initiating a process that it says will lead to a referendum on independence. Although such a vote is illegal under the Spanish constitution, many believe that if the Catalans gain enough moral support for a referendum Spain will be forced to permit it. Which is exactly where Ziani comes in. (MORE: Is Marrakech's Westernized Female Mayor a Real Figure for Change?) Ziani is director of the Catalan-Moroccan outreach program at the New Catalans Foundation. Created in 2012 by Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (a political party included in the ruling Convergence and Union coalition that is leading the push for a referendum), the foundation helps immigrants—including those from Latin America, Asia, and Eastern European—integrate into Catalan society. To that end, it offers language instruction and assistance with legal and social issues. But(http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&blog=19871253&post=86746&subd=timeglobalspin&ref=&feed=1)
Via: TIME GlobalSpin