Catalan separatists march for independence amid splits on tactics

BARCELONA - Tens of thousands of Catalans waving pro-independence flags and chanting"Independence now!" gathered in Barcelona on Wednesday to call for a break from Spain, but turnout was far less than at past such rallies amid divisions among separatist parties.

Elisenda Paluzie, chairwoman of Assemblea Nacional Catalana, the grassroots organisations behind the protest, told Reuters this had been the"hardest" secessionist protest to put together since they started in 2012 because of the separatists parties' divisions and the lack of a clear road-map. That confrontation saw police wielding batons at crowds seeking to vote and prompted the then-conservative government to temporarily impose direct rule from Madrid on the region.Prosecutors are seeking sentences ranging from seven to 25 years for 12 separatist leaders on charges of rebellion, sedition and misappropriation of public funds.

'ANGRY' The annual Sept 11 rally, known as the"Diada", marks the anniversary of the fall of Barcelona to Spanish forces in 1714. But she said divisions between separatist parties were not helping, adding,"I hope they reach an agreement in the end... It seems the party is more important to them than the country ."

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