'Catalunya Day' calls for independence as half a million fill central boulevard
Saturday, September 12, 2015 @ 8:18 PM
THOUSANDS of people have taken to Barcelona's central streets to celebrate National Catalunya Day, or the Diada de Catalunya – and what was once little more than a flag-waving procession has become a global cry for independence.
The Diada march includes members of the pro-secession political parties Junts Pel Sí ('Together for the 'yes' vote') and CUP and has been largely spearheaded this year – as it has been since 2012 – by the National Assembly of Catalunya (ANC), another organisation in favour of the region's becoming a separate country.
Kicking off at 17.15hrs this evening (Friday), the Diada now has the main boulevards of Barcelona awash with giant Catalunya regional flags, each marcher carrying one and several huge banners borne between teams of dozens or even hundreds of members of the public.
The slogan for this year's Catalunya Day is Vía Libre a la República Catalana, or 'free way ahead for the Republic of Catalunya'.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com