Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Barcelona this evening to commemorate the second anniversary of the independence referendum. It's one of many events organised by ANC around the whole of Catalonia today, two years after the vote that Spain tried to stop. "Release political prisoners", "Independence", "1st October, neither forgotten nor forgiven" and "Puigdemont, our president" were among the chants heard.

According to Barcelona's Urban Guard, some 18,000 people have turned out; organisers put the number at as many as 50,000. The march started at plaça de Catalunya, then went up passeig de Gràcia past the local offices of the European Commission to end at Jaume Balmes school, one of the sites where police used force two years ago to try and suppress the referendum.

At the same time, there have been other demonstrations in Lleida, Girona and Tarragona, besides other Catalan cities, as well as one outside Lledoners prison.

The anniversary

In Girona, some 12,000 people marched through the city's streets carrying torches. The route started at plaça del Vi, outside the city hall, and ended in the square newly renamed for the 1st October 2017.

Marxa de torxes a Girona. #1Oct. Ni un pas enrere! Continuem dempeus. pic.twitter.com/UCzpOC9TNS — Carles Bonaventura (@cbonaventura) October 1, 2019

In Lleida, turnout was 5,000 people according to the Urban Guard and 10,000 according to organisers. They left plaça Ricard Viñes at 7:30pm, led by a banner reading: "We'll do it again".

Other protesters were holding a variety of placards bearing messages like: "Release political prisoners", We're the Catalan republic" and "Listen, Spain, we won't give up". The march was led by a group of residents who had been affected by police actions around the city at different polling stations that day.

In Sabadell, hundreds of people spent the afternoon in plaça de Sant Roc. Òmnium and the local branch of ANC organised a variety of activities, including a large ballot box where members of the public could vote again. There was also a mural with the word "llibertat" (freedom), which people filled with yellow ribbons.

This was followed by a march to Escola Industrial, the polling station where the most people voted in 2017 and Escola Nostra Llar, which was where then Catalan speaker Carme Forcadell and Òmnium president Jordi Cuixart were to vote and which saw a charge by Spanish police.

Milers de persones es concentren ara mateix a l'escola Nostra Llar de Sabadell. Escola on havien de votar Carme Forcadell i Jordi Cuixart. pic.twitter.com/Yu3nLQkzav — Àlex Fenoll i Cruells 🎗 (@AlexFenoll) October 1, 2019

Vilanova i la Geltrú also saw a demonstration, organised by the local CDR (Committee for Defence of the Republic). Starting at plaça de les Neus, the rally was led by CDR members carrying placards with the slogans "1-O [eg: 1st October], we voted, we won" and "We'll do it again".