An estimated half a million people packed the streets of Barcelona on Thursday to call for Catalonia to be separated from Spain.<br /><br />The demonstration, marked Catalan National Day, the Diada. It was also a show of force in support of a independence referendum in November.<br /><br />“This is a very emotional day. We all want to say that we are a nation and we want to vote to express ourselves,” Desire Carbonell told euronews.<br /><br />“We want independence and above all we want to vote in November,” added Sigrid Torra.<br /><br />Barcelona police say some 1.8 million people took part in the protest. Not all were in favour of a break-up come November.<br /><br />“I don’t want independence, I feel Spanish and I think Catalonia is part of Spain,” said Azucena Perez.<br /><br />Despite such differences, our correspondent in the city says the ambitions of the pro-independence supporters have been boosted by Scotland’s surge to break-up the United Kingdom.<br /><br />Euronews reporter Cristina Giner said: <br />“People arrived from all over Catalonia to form a gigantic V for vote, but above all they want the Madrid government to approve a vote on November 9. The Diada of the Referendum has become a demonstration of force and strength of the Catalan people.”
