Catalan separatists demand relief from Madrid's tax policies
Hundreds of thousands of marchers demonstrate during Catalan National Day in Barcelona Sept. 11, 2012, in an unprecedented show of mass support for autonomy from Madrid.ALBERT GEA/Reuters
Demonstrators from across the region, some urging full independence, others calling for more autonomy from Madrid, marched under the slogan “Catalonia, a new European state.”ALBERT GEA/Reuters
A marcher holds a placard during the demonstration on Tuesday. The huge volume of people overwhelmed the mobile phone network, which shut down for hours under the strain.GUSTAU NACARINO/Reuters
Catalan Regional President Artur Mas holds a Catalan flag during a ceremony at the regional parliament marking the conquest of Catalonia by Spain’s King Philip V in 1714 after a 13-month siege of Barcelona.GUSTAU NACARINO/Reuters
Balconies are decorated with Catalan pro-independence “Estelada” and European Union flags on Catalan National Day. The region accounts for 15 per cent of Spain’s population but 20 per cent of its economy.ALBERT GEA/Reuters
Marchers demonstrate in Barcelona. A poll by the regional government in July showed for the first time that more than half of Catalonia’s population favours independence.ALBERT GEA/Reuters
Demonstrators hold a huge Catalonian flag. Economists calculate Catalans pay at least €12-billion more in taxes per year to Madrid than they receive back for services like schools and hospitalsGUSTAU NACARINO/Reuters
A man carries a floral offering to be laid at the statue of Rafael Casanova, commander in chief of Catalonia and mayor of Barcelona until he was wounded Sept. 11, 1714.ALBERT GEA/Reuters
Members of a pro-Catalan independence platform hang a giant banner next to the “Estelada“ flag at the Plaza de Catalunya in Barcelona.ALBERT GEA/Reuters
Marchers wave Catalonian nationalist flags. Although Catalonia’s unemployment is somewhat lower than Spain’s as a whole – 22 per cent instead of more than 24 per cent – the region has suffered badly due to the Spanish debt crisis.GUSTAU NACARINO/Reuters