The Catalan Way 2014 ( ca, Via Catalana 2014), or "V", was a large gathering in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

on 11 September 2014, the

National Day of Catalonia The National Day of Catalonia ( ca, Diada Nacional de Catalunya , es, Día Nacional de Cataluña) is a day-long festival in Catalonia and one of its official national symbols, celebrated annually on 11 September. It commemorates the fall of Bar ...

, in support of the Catalan self-determination referendum of 2014 and of

Catalan independence The Catalan independence movement ( ca, independentisme català; Spanish: ''independentismo catalán'') is a social and political movement (with roots in Catalan nationalism) which seeks the independence of Catalonia from Spain. The beginning ...

from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. It was organized by "Now is the Time", a unified campaign organised and funded by the

Assemblea Nacional Catalana The Assemblea Nacional Catalana ("Catalan National Assembly"; ANC by its Catalan acronym) is an organization that seeks the political independence of Catalonia from Spain. It also promotes the independence of other Catalan-speaking regions, whic ...

(ANC) and the

Òmnium Cultural Òmnium Cultural () is a Catalan association based in Barcelona, Catalonia. It was originally created in the 1960s to promote the Catalan language and spread Catalan culture. Over the years it has increased its involvement in broader political is ...

. Two massive senyeres (Catalan flags), created by demonstrators wearing red and yellow T-shirts forming a giant human mosaic, filled the

Diagonal In geometry, a diagonal is a line segment joining two vertices of a polygon or polyhedron, when those vertices are not on the same edge. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word ''diagonal'' derives from the ancient Greek δ� ...

and the Gran Via, and came together at the vortex in Plaça de les Glòries, forming a giant "V", symbolizing "victory", "vote" and "will" ( ca, victòria, votar, voluntat). The "V" was 11 kilometers in length and about 200,000 square meters in area. Estimates of the attendance varied: though the Spanish government's office in Catalonia put it at about 500,000, Barcelona's Municipal Police put it at 1.8 million. An independent statistical analysis by the

Autonomous University of Barcelona The Autonomous University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; , es, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona; UAB), is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. ...

calculated that 900,000 people attended. The organisers, the grassroots

, said it was one of the biggest peaceful mobilizations in European history. The demonstration followed similar protests in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and 2013 (the original

Catalan Way The Catalan Way ( ca, Via Catalana), also known as the Catalan Way towards Independence ( ca, Via Catalana cap a la Independència), was a human chain in support of Catalan independence from Spain. It was organized by the Assemblea Nacional ...

). It was followed by the

Free Way to the Catalan Republic The Free Way to the Catalan Republic ( ca, Via Lliure a la República Catalana), or Free Way, was a large gathering in Barcelona on 11 September 2015, the National Day of Catalonia, in support of Catalan independence. It was organized by "Now ...

(2015) and

Go ahead, Catalan Republic Go ahead, Catalan Republic or We are ready ( ca, A punt or Endavant república catalana) was a coordinated demonstration that consisted of five large celebrations in Barcelona, Berga, Lleida, Salt and Tarragona on 11 September 2016, the Nation ...

(2016).

References

External links

Ara és l'hora (Now is the time)
official web site images
V, Catalan Way 2014

Video with the best images of the Catalan Way 2014

''Ortofoto''
Mosaic of air plane pictures of the Catalan Way 2014 covering the entire area {{Catalan nationalism 2014 in Catalonia 2014 protests Catalan independence movement Politics of Catalonia Protests in Catalonia