Catalonia's National Day demonstration: a prelude to the independence referendum

Each year, when people take to to the streets on Catalonia’s National Day (September 11th) to demand independence, participants hope it will be the last demonstration: the last one, it is understood, before independence is finally achieved.

However, as time has shown, creating a new state is not an easy task — especially when the Spanish government vehemently opposes the move — and the long-held claim that the next pro-independence demonstration “will be the last one” has curiously enough become a traditional motto for pro-independence supporters.

Yet, this time they may be closer to being right than ever before.

When Catalans take to the streets next Monday, the Catalan government will have already called a binding referendum on independence to be held on October 1. Never before has the challenge posed to Spanish institutions by the pro-independence parties been greater. Correspondingly, the central government response is also expected to go further than ever before in order to prevent polling stations from opening.