Hundreds of Thousands March in Barcelona Against Catalonia's Independence

Hundreds of thousands of citizens in Spain demonstrated in Barcelona on Sunday, October 8, in support of the unity of the country and in protest against the Catalonia local government's action to separate from other regions of Spain. The group known as the Civil Society of Catalonia, which organized the rally opposing independence from Spain, claimed that about 950,000 people participated in the march, while Spanish police estimated the number of demonstrators at 350,000. Reports indicated that many attendees traveled from Madrid to Barcelona for the rally. This demonstration comes just one week after the Catalonia independence referendum, which the Spanish government and judiciary declared illegal. The day before, tens of thousands also protested in Madrid and Barcelona in support of Spain's integrity and against the separation of Catalonia from the country. According to reports, the organizers of this street march called for political negotiations to resolve the Catalonia crisis. Despite the central government of Spain stating that it does not recognize the referendum, local officials in Catalonia claim they will act on the results of this referendum to declare independence. On Sunday, the Prime Minister of Spain stated that his government would not allow Catalonia to separate. Mariano Rajoy emphasized that "Spain will not be divided, and the unity of the country will be preserved." He again threatened that his government could use constitutional powers to suspend the autonomy of the Catalonia region. The Catalonia autonomy law, established under the Spanish constitution of 1978, grants powers to the local government and institutions in this northeastern region of Spain, but the government claims that based on Article 155 of the constitution, it can suspend these autonomous powers. Catalonia officials claim that about 90% of participants in last week's referendum supported the independence of the region, and the head of the local government stated that although they do not seek a bitter separation from Spain, the region has earned the right to become an independent country. It has been reported that 5.3 million citizens of Catalonia registered to participate in the referendum, but only 42% of them, about 2.2 million, cast their votes. In this context, the Prime Minister of Spain did not rule out the possibility of suspending Catalonia's autonomy. The Constitutional Court of Spain suspended the Catalonia Parliament session on Monday. Catalonia is expected to declare independence in the "coming days." A strike in Catalonia saw 300,000 march against police violence in Barcelona. Catalan leaders stated that they do not seek a bitter separation from Madrid. The local government of Catalonia claims that "90%" voted for independence.