This year's Diada - the Catalan national day, on 11th September - gave a massive call for a vote of 'Yes' in the referendum on independence of 1st October. This Saturday, just two months later, the chants that filled the streets of Barcelona were quite different.
The Catalan sovereignist movement no longer favours the chants of "Independence!" and "We will vote", which have given way to the calls demanding the release of the 'Jordis', vice president Oriol Junqueras and the other imprisoned members of the Catalan government.
"Freedom for political prisoners" and "Long live the republic" were the slogans heard most among protesters this Saturday, miles away from the frequently-used expression 'Revolution of smiles' and closer to the mood of indignation in response to the repression that Catalonia and its institutions have experienced over the last few weeks.
In fact, the entire demonstration took place under the surveillance of two police helicopters, which were jeered and whistled by the marchers.
Radios and yellow ribbons
The turnout at the protest was large, as expected, and the broad Barcelona street Carrer Marina was filled from Avinguda Icària, two block from the sea, to the Sagrada Familia cathedral uptown, with more than 750,000 people taking part, according to Barcelona city police.
The protesters, who brought their own radios and wore yellow ribbons, as recommended by the march organizers, followed a banner at the head of the march saying "Freedom for Political Prisoners", which was carried by relatives of those imprisoned and of the government members in exile.
The protest was led by trucks with loudspeakers, offering a musical accompaniment of the full pro-independence and protest song playlist, with classics such as Lluís Llach's La gallina ha dit que no and L'Estaca. The five blocks of the official march route took just over an hour.
On the march route, a small dramatic performance took place representing the Catalan Government behind bars, featuring Spanish flags. The sense of indignation at the imprisonments could be felt among the protesters.
"People are tired but they will keep going"
"It is injustice, what we are experiencing," complained Anna, a marcher who had come south from the town of Banyoles, in declarations to El Nacional. She said she hoped the prisoners would be released soon, although she was clear that "they won't make it as easy as we would like."
Regarding the level of mobilization among pro-independence people, she saw today's march as a "fairly clear statement" on the mood of the movement. "If people were tired, they would stay home," said Anna. Another protester with her took it further: "People are tired but they will keep going."
Meanwhile, Juan Luis, from Barcelona, said that he came to stand up for his rights, because those rights "are being trodden on". He is also planning to go to the demonstration on December 7 in Brussels. "If you fight for your freedom, they can't just crush you in this way," he concluded.