By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 11 Sep 2013 • 16:36
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Several hundred thousand people demanding an independent Catalonia have joined hands to form a 400-kilometer (250-mile) human chain across the northeastern region of Spain.
The demonstration Wednesday aimed to illustrate local support for political efforts to break away from Spain. Organizers estimated about 400,000 people took part in the human chain.
Catalonia claims a deep cultural difference based on its language, which is spoken side-by-side with Spanish in the wealthy region.
Catalonia’s regional leader Artur Mas has promised to hold a referendum on independence in 2014, but the Madrid-based government has said that such a vote would be unconstitutional.
Polls indicate that the majority of Catalans agree on holding a referendum, though surveys in the region of 7.5 million people indicate support for independence is around 50 percent.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.