MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd October, 2019) Thousands of pro-independence Catalans took to the streets across the autonomous region on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the bid to break away from Spain.
Catalonia, a wealthy province in northeastern Spain, held an independence referendum on October 1, 2017, despite warnings from Madrid. A vast majority of those who voted backed the split from Spain.
Some 17,000 marched through the Catalan capital of Barcelona, according to Guardia Urbana, the municipal police force. The rally's motto was "Let's finish what we started."
Hundreds blocked streets and protested outside Madrid's representative office and the police department in Girona. The crowd swelled to 12,000 as night fell, turning it into a torch-lit event.
Massive demonstrations were also held in the cities of Lleida and Tarragona. The protesters besieged the Lledoners prison near Manresa which holds separatist officials who helped organize the referendum.
