Thousands attend anti-amnesty and anti-referendum protest in Barcelona
'Not in my name' say demonstrators at rally organized by pro-Spanish unity civil group
Tens of thousands of people attended a march against amnesty and self-determination in Barcelona on Sunday.
Organized by the Catalan Civil Society (Societat Civil Catalana, or SCC), the march down Passeig de Gràcia was under the banner 'Not in my name – no amnesty, no self-determination'.
Local Barcelona police say 50,000 attended while organizers put the figure at 300,000.
The leader of Spain's conservative People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and far-right Vox leader, Santiago Abascal, were in attendance, although organizers asked political parties not to "appropriate" the demonstration.
The rally was also attended by the PP's Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Madrid region, along with almost all of her cabinet.
The crowd gathered outside Gaudí's Casa Milà ahead of the march, chanting "Puigdemont, to prison," "Catalonia is Spain," and "Viva España."
Acting Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was also the target of the crowd's ire, with placards calling him a traitor to Spain for collaborating with pro-independence parties.
The march set off at 12 noon and speakers addressed the crowd at the end of the march around 1 pm near Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes.
SCC president Elda Mata demanded that Spain "end political favors for nationalism."
Addressing the rally, she said pacts to elect a new prime minister should "not destroy" coexistence in Catalonia.
Catalan president: rally a 'failure'
Catalan president Pere Aragonès has reacted to what he called the "failure" of the demonstration.
Speaking at an event in Masquefa, central Catalonia, Aragonès said of the rally: "The failure of the demonstration pushes us more than ever to fight for amnesty and self-determination."