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It is not too late to talk and stop the break-up of Spain. That was the message as hundreds of thousands of people who gathered for a huge anti-independence protest in Barcelona on Sunday.
The rally came one week after the region’s controversial referendum, which saw nearly 900 people hurt by police trying to stop the ballot.
Euronews went out onto the streets of the Catalan capital to gauge the mood of those taking part.
One protester said: “We are here today to defend the unity of our country, not from a nationalistic point of view. We are very concerned about the division that we are experiencing here in Catalonia among our friends, our neighbours and we want the politicians to find a solution for us, but we want to remain united as part of one single country and as part of the European Union.”
For the moment, Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has ruled out any mediation with Catalonia’s leaders.
He has also warned that he could invoke Article 155 of the Spanish constitution which would suspend the wealthy north-eastern region’s autonomous powers.