Global Geopolitical Series: Millions march in freedom for Catalonia

The existential crisis in Spain is not over, at least the latest march in Barcelona suggests so. Millions of people took to the street on Monday demanding independence for Catalonia with Barcelona as its capital city and for the release of jailed secessionists.

According to protesters, the September 11th was chosen as the day for the protest to send a message to the political class in Madrid, it was the day Barcelona lost the battle to troops loyal to King Philip V in the 1714 War of Spanish Succession. Protesters went silent at 17:14 pm to mark the year the country lost its autonomy. Loud cries of "Freedom!" and "Independence!" followed the silence.

According to protesters, this is just the beginning. There will be large-scale protests on October 1st, 2018, which will mark the one-year anniversary of the 2017 Independence referendum, where Spanish Authority used brutal force to stop the Catalonians from voting, who braved the force and voted 92 percent in favor of independence. However, that referendum was dubbed illegal by Madrid. Many leaders and activists who led the way are imprisoned and awaiting trial, while others have fled the country.