VOA慢速英語：加泰羅尼亞獨立運動在比利時引發(fā)緊張局勢

How Catalonia’s Independence Efforts Raise Tensions in Belgium

加泰羅尼亞獨立運動在比利時引發(fā)緊張局勢

Catalonia's effort to separate from Spain became more complex Sunday when the former president of the region, Carles Puigdemont, surrendered to police in Belgium. Puigdemont had fled to Brussels from Spain last week.

周日，加泰羅尼亞前主席普伊德蒙特(Carles Puigdemont)向比利時警方自首，這使得該地區(qū)從西班牙尋求獨立的努力變得更加復雜。上周普伊德蒙特從西班牙逃到了布魯塞爾。

Spain ordered the arrest of Puigdemont and other Catalan leaders. They are accused of rebellion.

西班牙下令逮捕普伊德蒙特和其它加泰羅尼亞領導人，他們被指控叛亂。

As Madrid seeks to stop the drive toward Catalan independence, similar movements, such as in Scotland, are watching with interest.

馬德里試圖阻止加泰羅尼亞獨立的發(fā)展，而蘇格蘭等類似分離運動都在饒有興趣地關注著。

On the streets of Scotland's biggest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Scottish flag has flown alongside the Catalan flag to show support for the separatists.

在蘇格蘭最大的城市愛丁堡和格拉斯哥的街頭，蘇格蘭旗幟和加泰羅尼亞旗幟一起飄揚，以表明他們對分離主義分子的支持。

Sonja Coquelin, a French student, joined the protests in Edinburgh last month.

法國學生Sonja Coquelin上個月參加了愛丁堡的示威活動。

"Whether it's the Basque Country, Catalonia, Scotland, and then going elsewhere to Palestine, to Kurdistan, they all have the right to exist as nations," she said.

她說：“無論是巴斯克地區(qū)、加泰羅尼亞、蘇格蘭，還是巴勒斯坦、庫爾德斯坦，它們都有權作為國家存在。”

Scotland already enjoys some autonomy from Britain. The British government approved Scotland's plan to hold an independence vote in 2014. The Scottish people chose to remain part of Britain.

蘇格蘭已經(jīng)享有英國政府賦予的一定程度上的自治權。2014年，英國政府批準了蘇格蘭舉行獨立公投的計劃。蘇格蘭人們選擇留在英國。

Scottish independence supporter Chris Bambery is the writer of the new book, Catalonia Reborn. He said Spain's government should have treated Catalonia the way Britain treated Scotland.

蘇格蘭獨立支持者克里斯·班貝里(Chris Bambery)是《加泰羅尼亞再生》一書的作者。他說，西班牙政府應該像英國對待蘇格蘭一樣對待加泰羅尼亞。

Bamberry said the Spanish Prime Minister may have been able to dissuade Catalans from seeking independence had he been more respectful of them. He said the government acted too strongly. That angered Catalans and intensified their support for independence.

班貝里表示，西班牙首相如果更加尊重他們，可能他已經(jīng)能夠阻止加泰羅尼亞人尋求獨立。他說西班牙政府表現(xiàn)過于強硬，這激怒了加泰羅尼亞人，并加劇了他們對獨立的支持。

James Ker-Lindsay, a professor at St Mary's University in London, agrees.

倫敦圣瑪麗大學教授詹姆斯·克林德(James Ker-Lindsay)對此表示贊同。

"If Scotland had voted for independence, we know that Britain would have allowed it...But Spain said absolutely no way, we're not even going to give that vote," he said.

他說：“如果蘇格蘭投票支持獨立，我們知道英國會允許它獨立。但是西班牙說這絕不可能，我們甚至不會讓你們公投。”

And, he said, the international community supported Spain's government because it did not want to deal with European problems.

他還表示，國際社會支持西班牙政府，因為它們不想處理歐洲問題。

Independence movements are taking place elsewhere in Europe. Italy, for example, saw two of its richest areas vote last month for more autonomy from Rome.

歐洲其它地區(qū)也正在搞獨立運動。例如，意大利最富有的兩個地區(qū)上個月投票支持從羅馬獲得更大自治權。

In Belgium, tensions between the Flemish-speaking north and French-speaking south also may threaten the country.

在比利時，說法蘭德語的北方和說法語的南方之間的關系也可能威脅到這個國家。

Ker-Lindsay said that other movements are troubled by events in Spain. The violence following the vote, and the reaction of the international community, demonstrate the difficulty in gaining independence.

克林德表示，其它獨立運動對西班牙事件感到不安。投票之后的暴力事件和國際社會的反應表明了獲得獨立的困難。

The European Union supported the Spanish government. However, Chris Bambery argues, history shows it is better to be sympathetic to people who seek independence.

歐盟支持西班牙政府。然而，班貝里辯稱，歷史證明，應該更加同情爭取獨立的人們。

He said, "The EU can look back in 1989 and say when the Soviet Union collapsed, actually the Baltic states and other countries got their independence peacefully."

他說：“歐盟可以回顧1989年蘇聯(lián)解體時，波羅的海國家和其它國家實現(xiàn)和平獨立。”

Both Catalonia and Scotland are wrong to believe the EU will help them become independent, argues Ker-Lindsay. He said the EU does not have the power to decide questions of independence.

克林德認為，加泰羅尼亞和蘇格蘭都錯誤地認為歐盟將會幫助他們獨立。他說，歐盟沒有權力決定獨立問題。

Ker-Lindsay added that the EU is already worried about the British decision to leave the EU, and the migrant crisis.

克林德補充說，歐盟已經(jīng)在擔心英國脫歐和移民危機。

E.U. worries may grow: The Scottish National Party is proposing to hold another independence vote after Britain leaves the EU. If it succeeds, it may inspire the Catalans to fight harder to separate.

歐盟的擔憂可能會增加。蘇格蘭國家黨建議在英國脫歐之后再次舉行獨立公投。如果公投成功，可能會激發(fā)加泰羅尼亞人更努力地爭取獨立。

I'm Jill Robbins.

吉爾·羅賓斯報道。

And I'm Susan Shand.

蘇珊·尚德報道。