Last Saturday's colossal demonstration in Barcelona is being reported on by media all over the world

Paris (CNA).- More than a million people were demonstrating last Saturday in Barcelona against the Spanish Constitutional Court’s sentence against the Catalan Statute of Autonomy. The sentence that reduces Catalonia’s autonomy brought Catalan citizens to protest massively on the streets. International press all over the world reported on the demonstration on Sunday and, for paper press, especially on Monday. Media from France, the UK, Germany, the US, and many other countries explained what has been the largest demonstration in history held in Barcelona for greater self-government and against Spanish centralism. In some cases, they link the demonstration to the celebration for Spain’s victory in the FIFA World Cup.

In the United Kingdom, ‘The Financial Times’ has published an article from its Madrid correspondent who states that Saturday’s demonstration “shows the weakness of Spanish political unity”. The economic newspaper dedicates an entire article to Barcelona’s demonstration, which generally speaking has not really been covered by the UK’s press. The FT links Saturday’s demonstration to the celebrations of Spain’s victory in the FIFA World Cup and states that Catalans suffer from “divided loyalties”. In the United Kingdom, ‘The Financial Times’ has published an article from its Madrid correspondent who states that Saturday’s demonstration “shows the weakness of Spanish political unity”. The economic newspaper dedicates an entire article to Barcelona’s demonstration, which generally speaking has not really been covered by the UK’s press. The FT links Saturday’s demonstration to the celebrations of Spain’s victory in the FIFA World Cup and states that Catalans suffer from “divided loyalties”.

‘The Guardian’ has published a short piece of news on the demonstration that includes the opinion of a young Catalan who affirms that he would like to have a Catalan football team but is proud that Catalan players are those leading the Spanish team.

The main newspapers in Germany, the ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ and the ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’, have published on Monday large pictures of the massive demonstration, one of the images picturing a participant’s poster saying, “Catalonia, the next European state”.

The celebrations for Spain’s victory interfere with German coverage

The report of the FAZ mixes data from Saturday’s demonstration with the victory of the Spanish football team in South Africa’s World Cup. The article stresses that, while in some Catalan towns the victory was almost not celebrated at all, in others the euphoria was maximum.

In France, both ‘Le Figaro’ and ‘Libération’ issued a short piece of news about the demonstrations on Monday, while in the same edition, on the front page they are covering Spain’s football team’s victory. ‘Le Monde’, however, portrayed a long article on the issue from a special envoy to Barcelona. The analysis explains the controversy about the Constitutional Court’s sentence and the evolution of Catalan independence supporters in the last years.

The Belgian press has reported this Monday that more than a million citizens were demonstrating on the street to claim that “Catalonia is a nation” and “challenge the sentence of the Spanish Constitutional Court”, tells the Francophone newspaper ‘La Libre Belgique’. The Flemish ‘De Standaard’ also takes notice of the Catalan claim: “Our culture is different” is its headline.

Czech press has highlighted the demonstration

The press in Czech Republic has also covered the demonstration. The online version of ‘Lidove Noviny’ explains, “Barcelona gathers a million people that claim for greater autonomy” and “protest against the Constitutional Court’s decision” that has denied Catalonia the term “nation”.

In the United States, the repercussion has been essentially through the main newspapers. The Associated Press release that stated “Catalans demonstrate to claim for greater autonomy within Spain” has been published in the online edition of the ‘The Washington Post’, ‘The New York Times’, ‘Chicago Tribune’, and ‘Los Angeles Times’. The text, almost the same in all of the publications, focuses on the number of participants given by the police (1.1 million people) and explains that “although the Spanish Government has given more powers to the region”, last Friday Spain’s “highest court stated that the Constitution only recognises the Spanish nation” and no other.