Huge rallies in Madrid and Barcelona over Catalonia
Demonstrations are taking place in the Spanish cities - in support of both unity and Catalan autonomy.
Saturday 7 October 2017 14:43, UK
Thousands of people are attending rival demonstrations - one in Barcelona and the other in Madrid - amid tensions over Catalonia's independence referendum.
People in the capital Madrid waved red and yellow Spanish flags in support of unity, while those in Barcelona, the Catalan regional capital, dressed in white to symbolise their desire for talks and a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Some people in Madrid also wore white in support of dialogue.
At the regional government's headquarters in Barcelona's Sant Juane Square, demonstrators chanted "We want to talk!" and carried signs saying "More Negotiation, Less Testosterone!" and "Talk or Resign!"
In Madrid, people gathered at the Cibeles fountain carrying a huge banner demanding leaders start talking. Some chanted "Less hate, and more understanding!"
But the pro-dialogue rally nearly clashed with a large pro-unity demonstration in Plaza de Colon where thousands of people carried Spanish flags and some danced around a fountain, before police separated the two groups.
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![Protesters hold a placard depecting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy kissing kissing Catalan president Carles Puigdemont during a demonstration called by the 'Let's talk' (Parlem,Hablemos) association for dialogue in Catalonia in October 07, 2017 at Cibeles square in Madrid. Spain braced for more protests despite tentative signs that the sides may be seeking to defuse the crisis after Madrid offered a first apology to Catalans injured by police during their outlawed independence vote.]()
Image: Protesters in Madrid hold a placard depicting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy kissing Catalan president Carles Puigdemont -
![Thousands of people marched in Madrid - many calling for further dialogue]()
Image: Many protesters dressed in white while calling for further dialogue -
![People attend a demonstration in favour of dialogue in a square in Barcelona, Spain]()
Image: The 'Let's talk' (Parlem, Hablemos) association calls for dialogue between Madrid and Catalonia -
![A woman with her mouth shut with a sticker reading 'Let's talk' attends a demonstration called by the 'Let's talk' (Parlem,Hablemos) association for dialogue in Catalonia in October 07, 2017 at Cibeles square in Madrid.]()
Image: A sticker reading 'Let's talk' covers the mouth of a woman attending the demonstration -
![People take part in a pro-union demonstration in Madrid, Spain]()
Image: But some were more partisan, with thousands gathering at a pro-union demonstration at Plaza de Colon in Madrid -
![People wave Spain麓s flag at a pro-union demonstration in Madrid]()
Image: Spanish nationalists waved the national flag in opposition to Catalan independence -
![Protestors gather holding Spanish flags during a demonstration against independence of Catalonia called by DENAES foundation for the Spanish Nation Defence at Colon square in Madrid on October 07, 2017. Spain braced for more protests despite tentative signs that the sides may be seeking to defuse the crisis after Madrid offered a first apology to Catalans injured by police during their outlawed independence vote.]()
Image: The rally was called by the DENAES foundation for the Spanish Nation Defence -
![People in Barcelona are marching through the streets calling for dialogue]()
Image: Meanwhile in Barcelona, people are marching through the streets calling for dialogue -
![Protesters attend a demonstration called by the 'Let's talk' (Parlem,Hablemos) association for dialogue in Catalonia in October 07, 2017 in Barcelona. Spain braced for more protests despite tentative signs that the sides may be seeking to defuse the crisis after Madrid offered a first apology to Catalans injured by police during their outlawed independence vote. / AFP PHOTO / Jorge GUERRERO (Photo credit should read JORGE GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images)]()
Image: Spain is braced for more protests despite tentative signs that both sides may be seeking to defuse tensions -
![A Catalan flag hangs from a balcony as a woman watches a demonstration in a square in Barcelona]()
Image: A Catalan flag hangs from a balcony as a woman watches a demonstration in a square in Barcelona -
![People gather for a demonstration in a square in Barcelona]()
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![People attend a demonstration in favour of dialogue in a square in Barcelona]()
Separatists claimed an overwhelming victory in last Sunday's referendum, plunging the country into a political crisis. The vote was declared illegal, invalid and unconstitutional by Madrid.
Ahead of Saturday's protests, a leading Catalan politician called for a "ceasefire" with Spain to lower tensions created by the region's push for independence.
Santi Vila, the regional government's business minister, told Cadena SER Radio it may be the "last chance" for "a new opportunity for dialogue" with Spanish authorities.
"We have to give it one more chance, maybe the last chance, and perhaps the only way that can happen is to start with a ceasefire," Mr Vila said.
"We can all calm down and give ourselves the opportunity to not take any decisions and see what channels we can open up to start a serene dialogue."
Meanwhile, Spain's secretary of state for foreign affairs has told Sky News a violent police crackdown against Catalan voters during the referendum was .
Ildefonso Castro also urged Catalan leaders not to declare independence, saying Catalan ministers will become "outlaws" if they do.
He said: "The most important thing is to be within the frame of the Spanish constitution. You can disagree with the law, but you cannot disobey the law. If you disobey the law, you become an outlaw."
Less than half the electorate voted in the referendum, and the most recent regional elections and opinion polls suggest Catalans are split roughly in half over independence.
Amid the tensions, some banks and businesses declared they were relocating so regional secession would not cause them to drop out of the European Union and the single market.
Mr Vila said he is against an immediate unilateral declaration of Catalan independence, but wants the Madrid government to hand back powers recently taken from the regional administration and a committee of experts from both sides formed to work out a solution to the crisis.