Even Catalan Separatists Are Tiring of Endless Independence Push
- Regional government aims to be ready for split by next year
- Support for independence has dipped as campaign drags on
People wave pro-independence Catalan flags as they demonstrate in Barcelona, on Sept. 11, 2016.
Photographer: Josep Lago/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The massed ranks of the separatist movement hauled themselves out onto the streets of Catalonia again Sunday for their annual march to demand independence from Spain.
After four years of protests and campaigning, many of the protesters wore T-shirts with this slogan “on your marks,” signaling their goals may be within reach. But despite the flags and the firecrackers, there are signs that fatigue is starting to set in. The number of demonstrators was down by more than a third from last year as doubts grow about whether the regional government will make good on its pledge to force a definitive showdown with Madrid next year.