1 million rally in Barcelona for independence from Spain

A massive crowd around 1-million strong surged into the streets of Barcelona Monday to mark Catalonia’s national day – the “Diada” – and show support for an independence referendum that Spain’s central government says is illegal.

Catalonia’s pro-independence government plans to hold the referendum on Oct. 1 in defiance of Spain, the BBC reported. Catalonia has passed a law to secede from Spain if the vote is Yes.

Opinion polls suggest the vote, if it takes place, will be very close, the BBC reported. – READ MORE </s> Thousands of people have attended a protest rally in Barcelona to show their support for an independence referendum in Catalonia.

Catalonia's pro-independence government is planning to hold a referendum on independence on 1 October, despite Spain deeming it illegal. </s> Hundreds of thousands of separatist-minded Catalans have rallied in Barcelona to show their support for an independent nation that would break away from Spain, leaving it without its powerful and prosperous northeastern region.

Barcelona police estimated on their Twitter account that about 540,000 people attended Saturday’s demonstration in support of a legally binding referendum on secession.

Spain argues that an independent Catalonia would be ejected from the European Union and left out from using the euro currency.

Catalan National Day has long been used to mobilize the masses in support of secession from Spain, which has said any referendum on the issue would be unconstitutional. The economically powerful Catalonia accounts for 18 percent of Spain’s economic output. </s> BARCELONA (Sputnik) — Catalonia’s National Day, the Diada, being held in the Spanish autonomous community on Monday less than three weeks before the much-anticipated referendum on independence from Spain, featured a major pro-independence rally in the Catalan capital of Barcelona.

Thousands of people holding the Estelada, the unofficial flag of Catalan independence supporters, have gathered in downtown Barcelona. For those who have not managed to get a flag in advance, vendors on the street offer to sell large ones for five euros ($5.99) and smaller ones for one euro.

The rally is organized by the Catalan National Assembly, which had announced that 450,000 people said they wanted to participate in the event. Per the organizers’ plan, at 5:14 p.m. local time (19:14 GMT), all the rally participants are to put on yellow T-shirts, symbolizing this year’s Diada, and flood into the Passeig de Gracia avenue and Carrer d’Arago thoroughfare, which run perpendicular to one another, in order to form a giant “yellow plus sign” which could be seen from the above.

​Some 300,000 Diada t-shirts have already been sold for this year’s celebration.

​The main events for Diada will be held at Placa de Catalunya, Barcelona’s central square. The rally will be attended by politicians, including Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, members of his cabinet, Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, and heads of public organizations. Two Nobel laureates will also be in attendance: Ahmed Galal (member of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet which had received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015) and Argentine writer Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, who had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980.

Spanish politicians have been using the word “theater” when commenting on Catalan parliament’s activities last week when the regional legislature was in the process of passing laws on the independence referendum and the subsequent transition period. Specifically, the authority was amending the rules of its own operation, passing laws that contradict not only the position of the Spanish government but also the previous rulings of the nation’s Constitutional Court.

Early on Monday, a real theater performance, one not involving politicians, took place at Placa Sant Jaume, where Catalonia’s local governing body, Generalitat, is located. The play commemorates the fall of Barcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession on September 11, 1714, and the subsequent loss of Catalan liberties, institutions, and laws.

Both the supporters and the opponents of Catalonia’s independence believe that holding a referendum in necessary. According to recent polls, anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of the autonomous community’s residents support the referendum and believe that Madrid should allow the vote to happen.

However, even those who plan to vote for Catalonia’s secession from Spain do not believe the Spanish government will recognize the referendum results if a majority should happen to support the independence.

Some rally participants say that by prohibiting the referendum, Spain’s ruling People’s Party only strengthens the separatist sentiments among the Catalans.

During a press conference, Puigdemont said that the referendum will be held on October 1 as planned, because “there is no such force that would prevent the Catalans from voting,” adding that local security services will be able to maintain order during the vote.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who had repeatedly said that no independence referendum would be allowed on October 1, has congratulated the Catalans on their National Day. </s> BARCELONA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Catalans filled central Barcelona on Monday to mark the first anniversary of an ill-fated independence referendum, as protesters made short-lived attempts to block roads and train tracks in the northeastern region.

Crowds of students filled the city’s central square, waving yellow, red and blue separatist flags and chanting ‘October 1, no forgiving, no forgetting’. Nearby, others let off smoke bombs and fireworks.

Madrid imposed direct rule on Catalonia after it declared independence following the referendum. Elections later returned a regional government favouring a split with Spain though a party supporting union won most votes.

Polls in Catalonia show a fairly even split between those who favour remaining in Spain and those who want to secede, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said he favours dialogue on the region’s future but has ruled out any moves towards independence.

Monday’s protests showed the independence movement was not beaten, said 57-year-old warehouse worker Marcal Mata.

“We want to send the message that it didn’t end on that day (last year). And although the world’s eyes are no longer on us, we will push on,” he said.

Maria del Mar Lladro, 55, walking her dog in a Barcelona park on Monday said she was in the pro-union camp. “There are a lot of us but we don’t make much noise. It could be seen badly, you could be singled out,” she said.

Elsewhere in the region, hundreds of protesters attempted to block train tracks and roads, with some laying tyres across a motorway, but they were quickly dispersed.

Events also passed off with little drama in Sant Julia de Ramis, a village where violent clashes broke out a year ago between riot police and those attempting to vote.

People queued there on Monday to re-enact the ballot - which Madrid banned as anti-constitutional - while regional leaders gave speeches. “The first of October will be the seed of the republic,” said regional parliament speaker Roger Torrent.

On Saturday, six people were arrested in Barcelona after pro-independence protesters clashed with police, as thousands joined rival demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the polarising vote. </s> Hundreds of thousands of Catalans were expected to rally on Monday to demand their region break away from Spain, in a show of strength three weeks ahead of a secession referendum banned by Madrid.

Nearly 400,000 people have signed up to join the demonstration in Barcelona, part of an escalating struggle between the wealthy northeastern province and Spain's central government.

The protest coincides with Catalonia's national day, the "Diada," which commemorates the fall of Barcelona in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714 and the region's subsequent loss of institutions and freedoms.

Since 2012 the holiday has been used by separatists to press for an independent state -- but Catalonia's pro-separatist president Carles Puigdemont said this year's "Diada" was "very important".

"It is a day to express our will as a people, remembering the past, where we come from, but also to project ourselves into the future," he said in a speech broadcast on Catalan TV on the eve of the march.

"A future that we have in our hands and that we will democratically decide really soon."

Organisers have chartered some 1,800 buses to take people to Barcelona for the march, which gets underway at 17:14 (1514 GMT) -- a nod to the year 1714.

The demonstrators will take the shape of a giant "X" by gathering on the Paseo de Gracia and Aragon avenues in central Barcelona to represent the mark Catalans will make on their ballots during an independence referendum slated for October 1.

If the "Yes" side wins the vote, Catalonia's regional government has vowed to declare independence within 48 hours and set about building a sovereign state.

With the Spain's central government promising to block the referendum, the pro-independence camp is keen to show that it can rally its troops -- especially after participation in the Diada declined last year.

"This Diada everyone must ask themselves: what will you do on October 1? Help the vote or help to stop it?" Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull said Sunday.

"History has called on us and it is a great honour but also a great responsibility."

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government argues the referendum violates the constitution, which states that Spain is indivisible.

"There will not be a referendum," Rajoy told officials from his conservative Party Popular on Saturday.

Following a legal challenge from Rajoy's government, Spain's Constitutional Court suspended a referendum law that was fast-tracked through Catalonia's regional parliament on Wednesday.

Police have searched Catalan printing houses suspected of making ballots for the referendum while Spain's state prosecutor has launched criminal proceedings against Puigdemont and other top Catalan officials.

In a survey by the Catalan Centre of Opinion Studies in July, 41.1 percent backed independence while 49.9 percent rejected it. Some 70 percent wanted a referendum, however, to settle the question once and for all.

Like the referendum held in Britain last year on the country's membership in the European Union, the issue in Catalonia pits rural areas -- which are more pro-independence -- against large urban centres like Barcelona that are more in favour of remaining within Spain.

Catalonia, which is roughly the same size of Belgium and has its own language and customs, already has significant powers over matters such as education and healthcare.

But Spain's economic problems, coupled with a perception that the wealthy northeastern region's 7.5 million people pay more in taxes to Madrid than they get in return, have pushed the independence question to centre stage.

During the "Diada" 2013 demonstrators formed a human chain that crossed Catalonia.

The following year the demonstration took the shape of a giant "V" for "vote" down two of the main avenues of Barcelona. In 2015 the march resembled a human arrow. </s> BARCELONA (Reuters) - Around one million Catalans rallied in Barcelona on Monday, waving red and yellow striped flags and banging drums, in a show of support for independence after Madrid moved to block a referendum on the region’s split from Spain.

A man carries a sign that reads "Spain for sale" next to a huge banner reading "Independence Now" during a rally on Catalonia's national day 'La Diada' in Barcelona, Spain, September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Susana Vera

Sept. 11 marks the ‘Diada’, Catalonia’s national day, which commemorates the fall of Barcelona to Spain in 1714 and is traditionally used by pro-independence activists to call for secession for the northeastern region with a distinct language.

However, this year’s event had particular significance as a show of strength for the independence movement just three weeks ahead of a referendum on the issue which Madrid has declared illegal and taken steps to obstruct in the courts.

Demonstrators climbed on each others’ shoulders to form human towers, a Catalan tradition, while others carried banners reading ‘We’re going to be a free country!’ and ‘Full of hope’ while wearing fluorescent yellow t-shirts with the word ‘yes’.

City police said on Twitter that around one million people took part, one of the highest turn-outs in recent years. Protesters said they hoped the vote would go ahead as planned on Oct. 1.

“We hope that we will be able to hold the referendum with total normality, because in a democracy it is normal to be able to vote,” said German Freixas, a 42-year-old engineer accompanying his family to the rally.

“If the people want it to happen, it will go ahead.”

The Constitutional Court last Thursday suspended the referendum after a legal challenge by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Police have since searched newspaper offices and printers for signs of any preparation for the referendum.

The head of Catalonia’s regional government, Carles Puigdemont, told journalists on Monday: “It’s not an option that the referendum won’t go ahead. It’s 20 days away and we’ve already overcome many hurdles.”

Puigdemont is facing criminal charges of misuse of public money, disobedience and abuse of office for organizing the referendum. He is prepared to go to prison, he has said.

A majority of Catalonia’s mayors have so far said they will allow the use of municipal facilities for the vote. The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, said on Monday she would do everything possible to allow people to vote but would not put civil servants’ jobs at risk.

Polls have shown support for independence waning in recent years with those wanting a separate state in a minority. However, a majority of Catalans want to vote on the issue.

At a peaceful march in August, convened as a show of unity in the wake of Islamist attacks that killed 16, mostly in Barcelona, the king and Rajoy were booed and jeered by the crowds in a show of resentment toward Madrid.

Protesters on Monday held a minute of silence for the victims of the attacks. </s> Thousands of people are expected to rally across Catalonia, an autonomous community in east Spain, on Monday to mark its National Day, in a show of support seeking independence from the country, The Guardian reported.

The ‘Diada’ day on September 11, which commemorates the fall of Barcelona to Spain in 1714, has turned into a political event since 2012. It is often used by activists to demand an independent state.

Jordi Sànchez, the president of the Catalan National Assembly, said the proposed October referendum had given significance to this year’s Diada. He said it showed a commitment to sovereignty through the vote and a desire to resolve the conflict that has been on for about six years.

“Today, for a lot of people, the Diada is the day when you can show your unequivocal support for a future that’s different from the past and the present,” he said.

This year, the day has a special name – “la Diada del Sí” is Catalan for the National Day of Yes.

Tensions have been high between Madrid and Catalonia since the Spanish government blocked Barcelona’s planned referendum to split from it. On September 6, Catalonia President Carles Puigdemont had signed a decree that officially called for a “self-determination referendum of Catalonia” on October 1. “Catalonia belongs to this world that looks forward, and that is why it will decide its own future on October 1,” Puigdemont had said.

On September 7, Spain’s Constitutional Court had suspended the referendum following a legal challenge by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Spain had said it was contrary to the Constitution, which specifies that only national authorities can call for such a referendum.

In November 2014, Catalonia had held an independence referendum, despite Spain’s Constitutional court declaring it illegal days earlier. A majority of the votes cast in that referendum were in favour of independence from Spain. However, the turnout was only 40%. </s> BARCELONA (Reuters) - Riot police charged in to break up a demonstration in front of Catalonia’s regional parliament on Monday, after thousands marched in Barcelona to mark the first anniversary of an ill-fated independence referendum to split from Spain.

The Catalan police used batons to control protesters after some waving yellow, red and blue separatist flags and chanting ‘October 1, no forgiving, no forgetting’ surrounded the regional parliament and displayed posters reading “Republic under construction”.

During the day there were short-lived attempts to block roads and train tracks in the Spanish northeastern region, and around 180,000 people marched in Barcelona, hanging ballot boxes and chanting the regional anthem.

Madrid imposed direct rule on Catalonia after it declared independence following the referendum. Elections later returned a regional government favouring a split with Spain through a party supporting union won most votes.

Polls in Catalonia show a relatively even split between those who favour remaining in Spain and those wanting to secede. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said he favours dialogue on the region’s future but has ruled out any moves towards independence.

Pau Benito, a 22-year-old medical student attending the protest with friends, said he supports leaving Spain but thinks the independence movement must be careful not to alienate other Catalans.

“Half of Catalonia doesn’t support independence. In the same way we are asking for better treatment from Spain we also need to respect those who don’t agree with us,” he said.

Elsewhere in the region, hundreds of protesters attempted during the morning to block train tracks and roads, with some laying tyres across a motorway, but they were quickly dispersed.

Events passed off with little drama in Sant Julia de Ramis, a village where violent clashes broke out a year ago between riot police and those attempting to vote.

People queued there on Monday to re-enact the ballot, which Madrid banned as anti-constitutional, while regional leaders gave speeches. “The first of October will be the seed of the republic,” said regional parliament speaker Roger Torrent.

On Saturday, six people were arrested in Barcelona after pro-independence protesters clashed with police, as thousands joined rival demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the polarising vote.
Around a million people rally in Barcelona to mark the National Day of Catalonia and to support the upcoming independence referendum on 1 October.