11.09.2014 - 17:30
Participation in the demonstration for Catalan independence exceeded all expectations, with 1,8 million people according to the Barcelona local police making history in one of the most multitudinous gatherings ever to take place in Europe. People poured into the streets of Barcelona, gathering along two of the country’s largest avenues—Gran Vía and Diagonal—to form the shape of a giant ‘v’ symbolizing the words ‘vote’, ‘victory’ and ‘voluntat’ which is Catalan for will.
Adults, children and the elderly peacefully expressed their intent to cast their vote in the referendum scheduled for 9 November on the independence of Catalonia, a vote that the Spanish government has blocked by drawing on a strict interpretation of the country’s Constitution.
Cries for independence were heard and Catalan pro-independence flags were waved throughout the demonstration. A giant Catalan flag was created by having participants wear yellow and red T-shirts.
The rally’s most emblematic point was located at the apex of the ‘v’, in Plaça de les Glòries, where a row of ballot boxes was placed to symbolize the Catalan people’s will to hold a referendum.
On a stage that was set up in the same square, a choir and several singing groups interpreted ‘Ara és l’hora’ (‘Now is the time’), accompanied on the piano by Lluís Llach, one of Catalonia’s preeminent musicians.
Then, a girl who on 9 November will be turning sixteen, the minimum voting age for the referendum, cast a symbolic vote in the ballot box at the apex of the ‘v’. The choir then performed ‘El Cant de la Senyera’, a patriotic song that is considered an unofficial anthem of Catalonia.
