Thousands turn out at Barcelona rally for secession from Spain

Thousands of protesters gathered on Sunday (November 22) in Citadel Park near Catalonia’s parliament to show their support for an independence process that parties favouring a split from Spain vowed to begin after winning in September regional elections.

The rally was called by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), a political organization seeking Catalonia’s independence from Spain. In addition to general support for secession, demonstrators also called on the myriad of independence parties for unity, following internal squabbling which has left the region without a permanent head of government.

“Catalonia united will be a sovereign state and no government or state can put into question the legitimacy of people’s will,” said one demonstrator, Gerard, a 61 year old journalist.

Another protester, Jodi, said independence from Spain inevitable.

“The people’s will cannot be stopped and at the end Catalonia will be independent,” he said.

Noting the internal turmoil of the movement, Montserrat, a 54-year-old teacher, said that Catalonia’s government would have to work together with the new Spanish government after the general elections.

“We all must go together to defend the freedom so we all make it to be what we want to be,” she said.

In September pro-independence parties won a majority of seats in the Catalan assembly, which last week passed a resolution setting out a plan to establish a republic within 18 months. Yet analysts generally believe Catalonia is still unlikely to break away, and may end up negotiating more autonomy instead.

Spain’s Constitutional Court blocked Catalonia’s secession bid earlier this month, deepening a stand-off between Barcelona and Madrid over the long-simmering independence movement weeks before a national election.