One of the big news items in Spain, besides "la crisis económica" and the latest government layoffs and austerity measures, is that many people in Catalunya want it to secede from Spain and become an independent country. September 11, while having a very different meaning in the US, is a holiday in Catalunya (not the rest of Spain). It commemorates the defeat of the Catalan troops during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714. 

Every year, there is usually some sort of nonpolitical rally or parade in Barcelona to express support and pride for Catalunya. However, this year one of the most active political organizations, Assemblea Nacional Catalana, organized a huge rally for the independence of Catalunya from Spain.

This is the official poster for the rally, which was posted in many storefronts in Barcelona and Tarragona. 

I decided to attend the rally because it was a great excuse to go into Barcelona and spend time with my friend Mònica, who is a fervent supporter of  the independence movement. (Fun fact: her Facebook account is in Catalan and every time we travel together she introduces herself as being from "Catalonia" instead of Spain). Most reports concluded that over 1.5 million people participated, and it generated a lot of news coverage in Catalunya, the rest of Spain, and even the world. See the article published in the New York Times which is a nice summary of the event and its implications: "Protest Rally in Catalonia Adds a Worry for Spain"

Even though I participated in the demonstration, I don't consider myself a proponent of this movement and actually feel fairly neutral about the situation; as I think the people best suited to make this decision are the ones who live here permanently, and I am not nearly informed enough about the Spanish and Catalan political systems as I should be. But I really enjoyed being a part of the atmosphere and seeing so many passionate people express their political beliefs. Here are some more pictures:

The sign below says:"Catalunya, new European state," which is the newest slogan the supporters of the independence movement has been using. There were also many European Union flags in the crowd, expressing the Catalunyan desire to still be a part of the EU if it seceded from Spain.

This is the flag representing the independence movement. The flag of Catalunya is a series of red and yellow stripes, and the flag for the independence of Catalunya adds a blue triangle with a white star, said to be inspired by the Cuban flag, which is a country that won its independence from Spain.

We passed by a Volkswagen dealership on our way to the beginning of the rally...and I couldn't resist taking a picture. This is for my Jetta waiting for me in San Diego!!

Some of the groups that do castells (human towers, see my first blog post for more pictures) also participated in the demonstration and performed them in the middle of the crowd. It is hard to see but the girl on top is waving the Catalunya independence flag. 

People brought their own drums and instruments to lead the cheers! I cannot imagine carrying those heavy drums for all those hours... 

The below pictures were not taken by me...but I think they do a good job of showing the massive quantities of people that participated in the rally.

All in all, I'm really glad I went. I love visiting Barcelona and getting to know the city a little more each time I go, and I love hanging out with Mònica, who I have been friends with for 12 years! We made crêpes for dinner that night, both sweet and savory...super easy and delicious!

Cheers! Or "Salut!" as you would say here :) Thanks for reading!