Thousands of Catalans marched through the streets of Barcelona in a rally to mark the sixth anniversary of the Catalan independence referendum.

Carrying pro-independence flags and banners, the demonstrators chanted anti-Spain slogans as they marched from the former model prison through Plaza Catalunya to the Guardia Civil headquarters in the Gracia neighborhood.

Among the participants was Roger Espanyol, an activist who lost his right eye to a rubber bullet shot by the Spanish police during the repression of the pro-referendum demonstrations.

Although the demonstration started off peacefully, with protesters seen with Catalan flags, some attendees started burning barricades and using bins to block roads.

The independence referendum was originally held on October 1 2017. The movement was deemed illegal by the Spanish government in Madrid, which ordered the arrest and exile of the main organizers of the province’s independence attempt.

(Source: AFP)