Catalonia can’t quit Madrid

ALTAFULLA, Spain—Halfway up a lamppost on a residential street flutters a tattered gold-and-red-striped Estelada, the flag that has long been a proud statement of identity in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia.

Now, though, for local retiree Mei Francisco, the Estelada’s faded colors serve only as a reminder of the declining fortunes of the Catalan independence movement. “It’s like this,” she said, before mimicking a deflating balloon.