4,500 unionists gather in Plaça Catalunya --33,500 less than last year--, local police say

Barcelona’s metropolitan police claim that 4,500 unionists rallied today in Plaça de Catalunya. According to the same sources, 38,000 people attended last year’s event; that is 33,500 more than this year.

Deprived of the support of Societat Civil Catalana (1) and without any direct involvement from Partido Popular (PP) and Ciudadanos, this year’s event --which celebrated Spain’s National Day-- was staged by several fringe unionist groups. However, Catalan PP leader Xavier García Albiol turned up unexpectedly, accompanied by other PP members, in what appears to be a new chapter in the struggle to lead the unionist camp in Catalonia.

Once there, Xavier García had to listen to the organisers refer to Spanish president Mariano Rajoy as “an ignorant coward”, as they slammed Catalan president “Arturo” Mas for “staging a coup”. Every time Mas was mentioned many of those in attendance shouted “Out!” and “Throw him in jail!”.

At the end of the rally they played the Spanish national anthem and about ten people in the crowd raised their arm in a fascist salute.

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(1) N.T. Societat Civil Catalana (“Catalan Civil Society”) is a non-partisan unionist group.