Spain protests: Why are people protesting in Catalonia and Barcelona? Latest news

Catalonia has endeavoured for 40 years to become independent from Spain, but it had its autonomy suspended for around seven months in 2017 by Madrid after a failed independence bid.

Nationalists in the country have said the region sends too much money for poorer parts of Spain, as a result of taxes being governed by Madrid.

The region has also said changes to Spain’s autonomous status in 2010 undermined Catalan’s identity.

A referendum vote held on October 1, 2017, which was declared illegal by Spain’s Constitutional Court, revealed 90 percent of Catalan’s voters backed independence – however, the turnout as only 43 percent.

source: express.co.uk