Spain Catalonia: Russian Fake News and Disinformation Rocking the Boat

When the Catalan sovereignty issue emerged in mainstream Spanish politics in the middle of the 20th century between the unionism supported by the Spanish government and the separatism advocated by the Catalan regional administration, the media loyal to the rival ideologies frequently offered contrasting versions of the same events, but the Catalan independence referendum on October 1 in 2017 remarkably elevated the intensity of the conflicting campaigns and caused the escalation of crisis. Following that event, several Spanish media publications showed their support to either side of the parties, for example on October 29, shortly after the prime minister’s decision to introduce a direct rule and to discharge the Catalan administration, the right-wing ABC newspaper released some photos of the ministers with the headline: “The government that will restore democracy.” On the same day in Barcelona, however, the pro-independence daily El Punt Avui ran a front-page picture of Puigdemont calling upon a “democratic opposition” as a counter measure to direct rule. It referred to him as “president” even though he did not hold a leader position; beneath the masthead, a banner carried the hashtag #CatalunyaLlibertad (“Freedom for Catalonia”). In addition, it is important to mention that the main figure behind promoting the autonomy of Catalonia is its administration, which in 2017 allocated an impressive amount of 10,1 million euros for that purpose.

Furthermore, EU officials have seen an increase in false information published in Russian before and after the independence referendum. In order to provoke division within the European Union, Russia’s “online disruption machinery” is working day and night to equate the Catalan crisis to the Crimean or Kurdish conflicts in the eyes of public opinion. According to a detailed analysis of pro-Russian media, several Russian media publications have multiplied their coverage of Catalonia in Spanish, English, German and Russian to portray the Spanish government and justice system “as guilty of violent repression in the northeastern region”. Moreover, these news organizations declare that “Madrid has sent paramilitary troops to Barcelona and warns that a civil war is imminent as the EU passively stands by”. In addition, Russian commentators have also described the wealthy Catalan region as Europe’s Donbass, arguing that “for the first time since 1945 a real civil war and real violence could break out”.

When trying to analyse Russia’s actions, it must be kept in mind that Russia has been accused of interfering in the internal affairs of Western countries already on several occasions during the recent years. According to Brett Schaffer, an analyst at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, one of its main goals could be “the creation of division in Europe in order to slowly undermine its democracy and institutions”. The European Union is also Putin’s main competitor in economic, but more importantly in ideological and moral terms. Moreover, “we are a mirror that reflects a different reality to the one Putin wants to create” says Esteban González Pons, the vice president of European People’s Party Group. In addition, Sean Kanuck, director of future conflict and cybersecurity at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, argues that Russia’s “strategy was to question the legitimacy of western democracies” and adds that “raising questions about the rule of law or the legitimacy of any particular election would actually be to Russia’s benefit, even if they aren’t influencing the actual outcome of the result. It is a distraction, it is a confusion, it is destabilising.” In order to fight the problem of false media and fake news, the European Commission, under the supervision of Federica Mogherini, “has a department exclusively dedicated to fake news from Russia, among other countries”. The department is composed of people working specifically in the area of fake news related to Catalonia and the first fake news seen already date back to 2016 when Russian media claimed that “Catalonia was going to recognize the independence of the Crimean Republic” and after that, there have been published several news and social media stories in Russian about “Spanish being taught as a foreign language in Catalonia or an interview with a pro-independence Eurodeputy claiming that the Spanish army was abusing the individuals”.

All in all, fake news and disinformation are becoming more and more widespread in public discourse. The massive increase of fake news has been identified as a major global risk and has been alleged to influence elections and threaten democracies. In addition, the increasing tendency of traditional media of becoming more entertaining can also refer to the vulnerability of the democracy, what may cause its receptiveness to manipulations. Although legitimate journalists and scholars adjudge fake news as “unworthy, unreliable, and tribalist”, the people behind these stories, according to Hal Berghel, regard them as a “legitimate exercise of their First Amendment rights”. As a part of counter measure, communication, cognitive, social, and computer scientists are engaged in efforts to study the complex causes for the viral diffusion of digital misinformation and to develop solutions against them.