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BARCELONA, KOMPAS.com - Some 1.5 million people took to the streets of Barcelona, ​​Spain to conduct annual rallies demanding independence Catalan, Tuesday (11/09/2012) local time.

The protesters took to the streets, waving flags and cater Catalan town with red and yellow, the colors typical of the area.

The rally this year is regarded as the greatest of all time. As a result, the organizers were forced to change the route residents commemorate the siege of Barcelona, ​​11 September 300 years ago it was.

A lawmaker from the left-wing Catalan Republican, Alfred Bosch, explains the significance of the massive action.

"All I see is the flag Catalan flag with a single star on the right in the middle of a triangle. It is the flag of the pro-independence," Bosch said as quoted by the BBC.

"And all the people wearing the flag. I have never seen a pro-independence flag this much in my entire life," said Bosch.

And the central government protesters claimed Spain certainly did not expect that action will be huge this year.

"This is a blow to the government. Such people I come from everywhere. I'm not sure the government predicts will be this big," said Teresa Cabanes, a protester.

Once the magnitude of the action this year to make the telephone network becomes very busy and had even lost a couple of hours.

Rallies in addition to demand independence Catalan Madrid also demanded that the government re-evaluate his new tax policies and immediately disburse bailout.

Catalan is the richest region in Spain and the fifth economic power in the country.

Last month Catalan request funding from the government bailout of 5 billion euros, or about Rp 6i5 trillion.

The reason for the request is mengangga Catalan government owed to the region for giving huge tax advantages.

Due to the financial crisis that plagued the Spanish, Catalan government has spent so far by more than Rp 160 trillion to restructure its debt and budget deficit.

Now, some economists say, Catalan barely have money even to pay the employees in the public service sector.

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