Why fewer people attended the National Day demonstration

600,000 people turned out for the 2019 pro-independence rally, with lack of unity among political parties one of the possible causes for the drop in participation

Aerial view of the 2019 National Day independence demonstration on September 11, 2019 (by Andreu Puig) / Guifré Jordan

Guifré Jordan | Barcelona

First published: September 12, 2019 04:36 PM

Some 600,000 people took to the streets to demand independence on Wednesday on Catalonia's National Day.

While no doubt many social causes around the world would very warmly welcome these figures for a rally, the day after the demo in Barcelona the debate has focused on whether the independence movement is losing momentum.

The reason? Since the National Day mass marches first began in 2012, the attendance figures have ranged from 875,000 (2016) to 1.8 million (2014), which makes Wednesday's protest the lowest to date.

Political commentators and media outlets in Catalonia and Spain have focused on the reasons for the drop, although on Thursday, the parliament speaker downplayed it: “The figures aren’t as interesting as the underlying movement and its resilience,” he said. Here are some of the possible causes for the drop:

1. Eighth National Day rally in a row

The mass pro-independence demonstrations began in 2012, attracting 1.5 million attendees. It peaked in 2014 with 1.8 million, and ever since has been on a downward trend.