A recent report from BBC News indicates that the Spanish government will seize control of the finances of the autonomous region of Catalonia within 48 hours, if they don’t stop the ‘illegal’ referendum vote regarding independence.
Jullian Assange, the freedom-touting founder of Wikileaks, quickly tweeted his support of the referendum, as well as a comment on the importance of Bitcoin in this regard.
Support from Wikileaks
The vote was proposed after years of the wealthy region paying into the central government far more than it received in public services. The Spanish government has threatened to take control of all financial transactions in order to stop the spending of state funds on illegal acts. Spain’s finance minister Cristobal Montoro is categorical:
"These measures are to guarantee that not one euro will go toward financing illegal acts.”
Paying for independence
The reality that Bitcoin represents a non-government controlled currency that can function without centralized government systems, makes it immune to geopolitical upheaval. This value-stability principle is what has made many industry insiders call it ‘digital gold.’
Assange’s post would indicate that those who desire freedom of finance and removal of government strong-arming and restrictive practices, should be heavily in favor of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
As liquidity and use-cases for Bitcoin increase, its position as a supra-governmental currency will continue to stabilize.