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Tens of thousands of pro-Spain Catalans marched on Sunday (October 27th) in central Barcelona to say that they exist and that they are as numerous as those who call for the release of imprisoned former separatist leaders.
With our special correspondent in Barcelona, François Musseau
All along the Passeig de Gracia, the Champs Elysees of Barcelona, there are tens of thousands to protest. They do not claim independence , quite the opposite.
They are comfortable in the national fold, they feel fully Spanish and proud to be. In a good-natured atmosphere, one can see a multitude of flags, both Spanish and Catalan. Some came as a family, like Hernan, a hotelier near Barcelona: " We want this land to be everyone's, not just independence. And the government we have here in Catalonia is only concerned with a few. "
Many denounce here the obligatory separatism and the undemocratic spirit of the partisans of independence . Many complain about the public school where Catalan is compulsory and where teachers, they say, indoctrinate children.
We also see banners in favor of the national police who would be victim according to the demonstrators provocations radical secessionists.
" I believe that the national police deserve our support, says Clara, a student of letters. In recent days she has been judged as if the agents were murderers. We have seen how they were thrown projectiles, how they were insulted, how they were provoked. "
On the whole, protesters say that Catalan society is fractured between their side, that of pro-Spain, and the camp of those who want to create a clean state.
► To listen also: Is there a dialogue between Madrid and Catalonia?