Brussels, 11/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - For the third time, Catalans have celebrated Diada, their national day, in Barcelona on Thursday 11 September. Five hundred thousand people took to the streets to call for an independence referendum to be held on 9 November.
The date of the plebiscite has been set by the Catalan government, but Madrid has ruled out any possibility of a referendum, arguing that the Spanish constitution guarantees the unity of the country. At the rally in Barcelona commemorating the capture of the city by the Bourbons in 1714, the president of the Catalan Community, Artur Mas, urged the Spanish state to take note of the Catalans' request. “There is still time to listen to the Catalan people's peaceful and democratic outcry. We do not want to impose any decision; we want to be heard, we want to talk, we want to vote and we want to find an arrangement that is good for everyone”, he said. The pro-self-determination leader recalled the Catalan demands to be able to conduct their own socio-economic policy and to maintain close ties with European Union.
The result of the independence referendum in Scotland on 18 September (see other article) will be closely watched by the Catalans and may influence the plebiscite sought by Barcelona the following month. (MD)