Unionist demonstration underway in Barcelona

Tens of thousands of people are gathering in Barcelona’s city center to reject the independence declaration voted on in the Catalan parliament on Friday. Civil organizations holding the march, such as Societat Civil Catalana, aim to show that “the majority of Catalans” want to stay in Spain. The main unionist parties support the march, including the Catalan branch of the Spanish ruling party, the People’s Party, as well as Ciudadanos and the Catalan Socialists.

So far the most successful unionist demonstration ever in the country was held on October 8, one week after the independence referendum. According to the local police, 350,000 people took part in the march. Several pro-independence rallies exceeded that figure in the past few weeks, with a million of protesters on September 11, the Catalan National Day. 700,000 gathered on October 3 to reject police violence during the referendum while 450,000 protested against the imprisonment of two civil pro-independence leaders on October 21.