9,000 demonstrate for Catalonia’s independence: report

Around 9,000 people demonstrated Saturday in the centre of Barcelona for the independence of the northeastern Catalonia region, burning a Spanish flag and a photo of King Juan Carlos, media reported.

At the end of the annual march on Catalonia Day masked people set alight a photograph of the Spanish king dressed in a military uniform and a Spanish flag, according to media reports citing municipal police.

Spain’s Constitutional Court in June struck down several articles of a 2006 charter that expanded the already significant powers of self rule of the Catalonian government, sparking mass protests in the region.

The head of the Catalonian government, Jose Montilla, recently called regional elections for November 28, which will be a key test not only for the Socialists, who currently lead Catalonia’s ruling coalition but also the national government.