Catalonia referendum: Separatists rally around mayors in Barcelona

Supporters of Catalan independence from Spain are rallying in Barcelona behind more than 700 mayors facing the threat of arrest for backing a referendum separatists plan to hold on 1 October.

The mayors have been called in for questioning by prosecutors for agreeing to facilitate the vote locally.

They could be arrested if they do not attend. Madrid has promised to block the referendum, which has been suspended by the constitutional court. Catalonia's regional government insists the vote will take place as scheduled despite a growing clampdown by the Spanish state.

The mayors could also be charged with misuse of public funds if they help stage the vote. Some of the mayors gathered with Catalan President Carles Puigdemont outside the headquarters of the regional government, the Generalitat Palace, as supporters waved the lone-star flag of the independence movement.

UCJ, UNILORIN.