Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Barcelona on Saturday to protest against the chronic dysfunction of the Rodalies commuter rail network. They described the situation as “humiliating” and called for Catalan independence as the only viable solution.
The demonstration was convened by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and the Council of the Republic (CdRep). It sought to frame the ongoing infrastructure failures not merely as technical issues, but as symptoms of political neglect. Meanwhile, protesters marched under the slogan “Prou! Única via: independència!” (“Enough! Only way: independence!”). They expressed deep indignation over the state of the railway service managed by the Spanish government.
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Home » Barcelona Rodalies protest: Thousands denounce ‘humiliating’ rail chaos
Barcelona Rodalies protest: Dispute over attendance numbers
As is common with large-scale demonstrations in the Catalan capital, estimates of attendance varied significantly between authorities and organisers.
- Barcelona City Council: Estimated approximately 8,000 participants.
- Organisers (ANC & CdRep): Claimed a turnout of 30,000 people.
The march began at the monument of Rafael Casanova, a symbolic site for Catalan nationalism. It then proceeded through the city centre. Tensions were visible at Plaça Urquinaona, where three individuals were seen burning a Spanish flag. Subsequently, the column moved towards its conclusion at Plaça Sant Jaume, the seat of the Catalan government.
Barcelona Rodalies protest: Accusations of ‘colonial’ treatment
Upon reaching Plaça Sant Jaume, the political nature of the protest took centre stage. Lluís Llach, president of the ANC, and Jordi Domingo, president of the CdRep, delivered speeches. They attributed the collapse of the Rodalies service to what they termed Spain’s “colonial” treatment of Catalonia.
Dismissing suggestions that recent service cuts were due to adverse weather, Llach argued the root causes were structural and financial.
“[The cause is] the non-compliance, the fraud in the execution of the Budgets in Catalonia and the systemic abandonment of Spain in Catalonia.”
Lluís Llach, President of the ANC
Both leaders pointed to an alleged “fiscal plunder” as the primary driver of the region’s infrastructure deficit. Domingo described this economic imbalance as “enormous”. He suggested that the lack of investment in the rail network was a deliberate consequence of the fiscal deficit Catalonia suffers.
Barcelona Rodalies protest: Calls for political resignations
Political reactions were not limited to civil society groups. Oriol Junqueras, president of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), attended the start of the demonstration alongside the party’s general secretary, Elisenda Alamany. Junqueras took a hard line against the management of the crisis. He demanded immediate accountability.
“We defend that there must be resignations and solutions,” Junqueras told reporters. He characterised the situation as a long-standing grievance that goes beyond recent disruptions.
“For many years, many decades, Catalonia has suffered evident underfunding, a humiliating treatment that affects the entire population,” he said. He cited the trains as the most “evident example” of this systemic failure.
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