Why Spain Is Cracking Down On The Color Yellow

Spanish officials are cracking down on the color yellow in Catalonia over fears that it may unfairly promote separatist candidates in the upcoming December 21st election. 

Yellow has come to represent the Catalonian separatist movement because of the yellow and red Catalonian flag. Many Catalonians have been showing their support for Catalonia's separatist leaders, who were arrested or exiled after they successfully organized a vote for Catalonian independence which was eventually ruled illegal, by wearing yellow ribbons or displaying yellow in their windows. 

By dissolving Catalonia's Parliament and arresting its separatist leaders, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajo hoped to start fresh, but now separatist voices have become even stronger in resistance to what they call political suppression and injustice. With a wide-swath of separatist candidates running in the upcoming election, it appears as if Spanish officials are growing concerned that they may end up with the same problem they began with — a Catalonian government oriented towards splitting off from the Spain. 

In an attempt to prevent such an outcome, some government officials and business owners are cracking down on the popular yellow protest to try to sway the election. Last week, Spanish election officials ordered Barcelona City Council to extinguish yellow lights that illuminated twenty fountains across the city in support of Catalonia's jailed politicians.

The BBC reports that some bosses have even ordered workers to stop wearing the color to work.

Since Franco's death in 1975, Catalonians have argued for increased autonomy based on claims of the region's cultural and economic independence from the country.