Hundreds of thousands of Catalans have flooded the streets of Barcelona to demand a vote on independence from Spain. Turnout estimates ranged from half a million to nearly two million people. The call for secession was bolstered by next week’s referendum in Scotland on independence from the United Kingdom. Ahead of the march, Catalan President Artur Mas said European leaders should accept a referendum on Catalan independence scheduled for November.

Catalan President Artur Mas: “There are European leaders that accept the referendum in Scotland, but don’t accept at the same level the referendum in Catalonia. And my question is: Is Catalonia a different nation? It is a different nation, but it is also a nation. So if the Scottish people have the right to decide their political future, why not the Catalan people?”