Note: #TwitterEnCatalà is the Catalan-language hashtag for #TwitterInCatalan.
On July 6, 2012, thousands of Catalan-speaking netizens celebrated the fact that Twitter finally speaks their language. The hashtag #twitterencatalà [1] quickly became a trending topic [2] in Spain, and Data'n'Press [3] launched twitterencatala.org [4] to monitor the number of users who switch their accounts into Catalan. Within the first 24 hours, more than 10,000 did so.
Many Twitter users have rejoiced in the website's newest language edition, but many others have expressed their anger at the announcement, tweeting derogatory remarks about the Catalan language and people.
On the positive side, many directly thanked Albert Cuesta [5], who organized the public petition for a Catalan Twitter, as well as all those who signed it:
[6]Promotional image for #twitterencatala. Source: www.rogercasero.cat
@csolaniubo [7]: Avui és el dia que hem de felicitar l’ @albertcuesta per ser tant tossut i fer que entre tots hàgim aconseguit el #twitterencatala [1] Gràcies!
@jordiipa [8]: El meu #FF és per als 7.383 signants de la petició i els 5.000 voluntaris que han traduït #twitterencatala [1] < i el meu x @albertcuesta grcs!
There were also abundant tweets that celebrated the launch of Catalan Twitter as a victory for Catalan identity in the context of Catalonia's current sociopolitical situation:
@sonrisadecolor [9]: M'encanta tenir el #Twitter de l'ordinador en #català. Només una mica més i ja tindrem la #IndepedènciaperCatalunya! #twitterencatala [1]
@quimtorra [10]: Això del #twitterencatala [1] és com ens passarà l'endemà de la independència: semblarà mentida que no hagués estat sempre així.
That being said, Catalan Twitter's launch also provoked a storm of angry, in some cases racist tweets towards the Catalan language and people, and conversely, some vitriolic, as well as sarcastic, responses:
@xaviconde [11]: Los que están detrás de #twitterencatala [1] quieren partir España. Además de ducharse poco, claro.
@juanjo_R_G [12]: #twitterencatala [1] Eso, eso, y yo quiero la versión en panocho, bable, andaluz y latín antiguo.
@somosloslocos [16]: Ahora Twitter parecerá un huerto, todos hablando como si tuvieran un nabo en la boca. #twitterencatala [1]
@mapumo21 [17]: La ràbia dels espanyols és directament proporcional a les meues ganes de parlar, escriure i pensar en català! #twitterencatala [1] #adeuespanya [18]
@el_bocazas [19]: Que los catalanes tengan #twitterencatala [1] m parece tan reprobable como que los rusos tengan #twitterenruso o los franceses #twitterenfrancés
@Maltlatadol [20]: tt #twitterencatala [1] y la peña rajando. Jajajajaja maldita envidia. A min só me molesta que non hai #twitterengalego [21]
The website Apuntem.cat [22], dedicated to denouncing anti-Catalan racism on the Internet, collected some of the most violent tweets (note: in Spanish, “catalufo” is used as a slur for Catalans):
[22]Anti-Catalan tweets with the hashtag #twitterencatalà, curated by apuntem.cat
@AdrianVic04: Catalans, I wish you the worst illness and suffering, and that death follows you through life, you are the fucking shit of SPAIN.
@manuelrodrigue1: come on, man now that want to put #twitterencatalà, when will these piece-of-shit separatist catalufos quit? they're just disgusting
@Ander89zgz: These catalufos disgust me. Can't we just exterminate them all?
Violently anti-Catalan tweets have worried Catalan netizens for a long time. European MP Ramon Tremosa [23] has brought these concerns before the European Commission, arguing that these kind of statements shouldn't be protected as free speech because they “carry the seed of hate [24]” [cat].
Catalan Twitter was launched less than a week after the Centre d'Estudis d'Opinió's latest public opinion poll [25] [cat], which highlighted that over 51% of the Catalan electorate would vote in favor of independence if a referendum were held tomorrow.