The 2017 demonstration against Catalan independence was a large demonstration in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

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, organized by Societat Civil Catalana on 8 October 2017, usually named after its slogan 'Stop! let's come to our senses' (in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

'Prou! Recuperem el Seny'). It took place around midday starting in Plaça Urquinaona and ending in França railway station. The objective of the rally was to voice protests and growing concerns about the accelerating

Catalan independence movement The Catalan independence movement ( ca, independentisme català; Spanish: ''independentismo catalán'') is a social and political movement (with roots in Catalan nationalism) which seeks the independence of Catalonia from Spain. The beginnings ...

and the recent referendum on self-determination as well as to call for the preserved unity of Spain. The number of demonstrators was estimated at 950,000 by the organizers and 350.000 by the local police.

Demonstration

The initial announcement was made by the entity Societat Civil Catalana, asking the 'silenced'

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

to demonstrate and say 'enough' to the

. The aim of the organizers was to assemble the largest pro-unity rally in the history of Barcelona with the aim of making clear that a large part of society was feeling abused by the nationalist movement. Later, political parties decided to participate asking their supporters to join. This included the People's Party,

Citizens Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

, and the

Socialists' Party of Catalonia The Socialists' Party of Catalonia ( ca, Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya, PSC–PSOE official acronym) is a social-democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain, resulting from the merger of three parties: the Socialist Party of Catalonia ...

, as well as then minority parties

UPyD Union, Progress and Democracy ( es, link=no, Unión, Progreso y Democracia , UPyD ) was a Spanish political party founded in September 2007 and dissolved in December 2020. It was a social-liberal party that rejected any form of nationalism, espe ...

and Vox. It was explicitly asked of demonstrators to join in a civic and peaceful way with a constructive attitude, and they were encouraged to bring Catalan, Spanish and European flags to show the plurality of the pro-union supporters. No unconstitutional symbols were tolerated. The march was led by the Minister of Health

Dolors Montserrat Dolors Montserrat i Montserrat (born 18 September 1973, in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia) is a Spanish lawyer and politician who serves as Member of the European Parliament. Previously, she has served as Minister of Health, Social Services and Equalit ...

, the Delegate of the Government in Catalonia Enric Millo,

Nobel laureate in literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...

, the former

president of the European Parliament President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Josep Borrell Josep Borrell Fontelles (; born 24 April 1947) is a Spanish politician serving as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy since 1 December 2019. A member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), he served ...

and anti-corruption

public prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

Carlos Jiménez Villarejo.

Aftermath

The success of the demonstration surpassed the expectations of the organizers, as until that point the pro-independence movement had had a monopoly in organizing massive public demonstrations. This is reflected in the slogan ''the streets will always be ours'' (''els carrers seran sempre nostres''), commonly used in pro-independence rallies. As a result, the rally is considered a turning point in the public perception of the political conflict, being extensively featured in the international press.

Gallery

08.10.2017 Manifestació "Prou! Recuperem el seny" - Barcelona 17.jpg 08.10.2017 Manifestació "Prou! Recuperem el seny" - Barcelona 02.jpg 08.10.2017 Manifestació "Prou! Recuperem el seny" - Barcelona 07.jpg 08.10.2017 Manifestació "Prou! Recuperem el seny" - Barcelona 06.jpg 08.10.2017 Manifestació "Prou! Recuperem el seny" - Barcelona 20.jpg 08.10.2017 Manifestació "Prou! Recuperem el seny" - Barcelona 10.jpg

References

{{reflist 2017 in Catalonia

Politics of Catalonia Politics of Spain Protests in Spain

October 2017 events in Spain

Demonstration

Aftermath

Gallery

See also

References