Sept 11 independence march arrives amid Spain’s actions against referendum

September 11 is a day marked in the pro-independence calendar for yet a sixth year in a row. Indeed, this Catalan National Day has hosted a march in favor of a Catalan state since 2012. The demonstration peaked in its 2014 edition, with 1.8 million attendants, according to Barcelona police corps. The protesters declined in number in 2015 (1.4 million) and in 2016 (around 1 million), but this year, the momentum could have come back. The march arrives at a key moment: only 20 days before the referendum planned for October 1, and with Spain already taking action against the vote.

450,000 already enrolled

As party politics enters unknown territory on the run-up to the October 1 vote, civil society organizations are expected to become more active in the streets and assume a greater role in the push for independence. “September 11 is the first phase of the October 1 vote,” said Jordi Sànchez, president of the pro-independence Catalan National Assembly (ANC). “If we're not able to mobilize a maximum number of people on September 11, October 1 will be weakened.”