Catalan Referendum: Scores Rally in Barcelona against Independence

Local Editor

Scores of people rallied in central Barcelona on Sunday protesting against any declaration of independence from Spain, waving banners that said "I am Spanish," "Catalonia is Spain," and "Together we are stronger."

Police said around 350,000 people took to the streets of the Spanish capital, though organizers put the figure closer to 930,000.

The rally, designed to defend the unity of Spain, was organized by the Catalan Civil Society [SCC] group, with the slogan ‘Let's recover our common sense!'

More than 2.2 million people across Catalonia cast their ballots in last Sunday's referendum, which saw a 90-percent vote in favor of a split from Spain. The police crackdown on the independence referendum in the affluent Spanish region led to over 800 people being injured and mass protests, with 700,000 people taking to the streets of Barcelona to vent their anger and voice support for the local authorities.

In the wake of the referendum, Catalan regional leader Carles Puigdemont pledged to present the results to the local parliament, despite the Spanish Constitutional Court ruling the referendum illegal.

The court subsequently suspended the upcoming Monday session of the Catalan parliament, during which it was expected to address the outcome of the popular vote.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said, in an exclusive interview with El Pais on Saturday, that "Spain is not going to be divided and the nation's unity will be maintained... We believe that we know what the Spanish people are thinking. And they should know that the government also knows what it has to do."

"The ideal would be not to have to take drastic measures, but for that to happen there would have to be some rectifications. I would like the threat of a declaration of independence to be withdrawn as quickly as possible," he said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team