Sturgeon's Catalan Dilemma. Peter Geoghegan.

For Scottish nationalists, the Catalan independence struggle is a battle between head and heart.

Seeing elements of their own ambitions for self-determination in last month’s disputed referendum in the northern Spanish region, many Scottish National Party supporters want their leaders to offer a political olive branch to the now ousted president, Carles Puigdemont, by recognizing the declaration of independence.

But that risks antagonizing Madrid and harming the Scottish National Party’s own ambitions of leading Scotland out of the United Kingdom, leaving Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with a tricky balancing act.

In early October, the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) annual conference unanimously passed a motion calling on Spain to “respect” the result of Catalonia’s disputed referendum on independence a few days earlier.

When Puigdemont declared independence on Friday, many in Barcelona — and Edinburgh — hoped that the SNP would call for the new Catalan state to be recognized. Instead, the SNP, which controls the Scottish government, called for dialogue, to the displeasure of some party members — although Sturgeon did put out a tweet Thursday condemning the jailing of Catalan ministers.

But that displeasure had already reached the Scottish parliament Tuesday with a motion signed by 21 MSPs (all from the Scottish National Party) calling on “the international community to recognize the vote of the Catalan parliament for an independent republic of Catalonia.”

“We understand that this could happen to us” — Well-placed individual within the Scottish government

Scottish nationalists and Catalan secessionists have long made common cause. The colorful Catalan flags that have appeared in many Scottish windows reflect a growing concern among nationalists. But Sturgeon’s party, with its own independence ambitions in mind, is wary of antagonizing Madrid. If a future independent Scotland wants a smooth passage back into the European Union, it will need all the friends it can get among member countries.

Internal matter

Meanwhile, the European Union’s insistence that Catalonia is an internal matter for Spain has led some Scottish nationalists to reappraise their once steadfast support for the EU.

“I think the SNP should have recognized the UDI (unilateral declaration of independence),” said George Kerevan, a former SNP MP who lost his seat in June’s general election.

“I have never seen the amount of sympathy and passionate outpouring from SNP supporters that I have seen for Catalonia in the last week. The vast majority of SNP supporters support the UDI,” said Kerevan, who writes a column in pro-independence newspaper the National.

The audience at an SNP party conference shows its solidarity with Catalonia | Robert Perry/EPA

Scotland has long links with Spain, particular on the left. Some 2,400 Scots fought on the republican side in the Spanish civil war. More recently, the connection has been largely between Scottish and Catalan nationalists. The Scottish Saltire has become a familiar sight at pro-independence rallies in Barcelona.

The SNP’s relationship with pro-independence Catalan parties has not been straightforward. Ahead of the 2014 Scottish independence, then-SNP First Minister Alex Salmond often declined to comment on the situation in Catalonia and, in public at least, relations between the devolved Catalan and Scottish governments were more cordial than warm.

Since resigning the SNP leadership, Salmond has become more voluble. Over the weekend he told listeners to his London radio show that the EU has maintained a “guilty silence” over Catalonia.

Salmond’s successor has been far more circumspect. Nicola Sturgeon is an active Twitter user but her only reference to Catalonia was a link to the Scottish government’s official statement.

Scottish External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the people of Catalonia “must have the ability to determine their own future,” but stopped short of recognizing Catalonia as an independent state.

As well as sympathy for the Catalan cause, Scottish nationalists are wary that they could end up in a similar position.

‘This could happen to us’

Earlier this year, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May rejected Sturgeon’s call for a second independence referendum. That demand is off the agenda for now — largely due to the poor SNP performance in June’s general election — but nationalists still fear London could follow Madrid in blocking a future vote.

“We understand that this could happen to us,” said a very well-placed individual within the Scottish government.

“This has opened my eyes. My movement can expect no help from the European Union and no help from individual states” — Andy Steel 

“We have to take the responsible position that a government should take but have the most enormous empathy for what is taking place in Catalonia,” they added.

That position is far from universally popular amongst party activists. With foreign affairs reserved to Westminster, any acknowledgment of Catalan independence would be purely symbolic. But critics point to the Scottish government’s recognition of Palestine as a precedent.

The Catalan crisis is also shaking the SNP’s staunch Europhilia. The response from Brussels has led some nationalists to question the party’s commitment to the European Union.

“This has opened my eyes,” said SNP councilor Andy Steel. “My movement can expect no help from the European Union and no help from individual states.”

The SNP could be punished if it appears to “hold back on Catalonia in favor of warmer ties with the EU with Brexit ahead,” said Angela Haggerty, editor of the pro-independence website Commonspace. Politico.