Demonstrators march to support Spanish union

(8 Oct 2017) Pro-Spain demonstrators marched through the city of Barcelona on Sunday to protest against the Catalan government's push for secession from the rest of Spain. Many in the crowd carried Spanish flags and chanted "I am Spanish". The rally, organised by the Catalan Civil Society, comes a week after separatist leaders of the Catalan government held a referendum on secession that Spain's top court had suspended and the Spanish government said was illegal. The referendum was won by the "Yes" side, though less than half of the region's electorate voted. Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has pledged to push ahead for independence. Sunday's demonstrators shook hands with members of the police force and told them "You are not alone", after the police were heavily criticised internationally for their use of violence while trying to prevent the referendum from taking place. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...