SEVERAL thousand Catalans gathered at a fountain in Barcelona yesterday to take part in a rally in support of independence.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola read a manifesto at the event, calling on the international community to support a referendum on Catalan independence that Spain’s government considers illegal.

He urged “democracies in Europe and around the world to stand by us as we defend our rights of freedom, political expression and the right to vote”.

On Friday Catalonia’s regional president Carles Puigdemont announced that his government would hold the independence referendum on October 1.

Spain’s government has promised to stop the vote on grounds that it is unconstitutional, saying the matter would affect all Spaniards.