TENS of thousands of people are expected to descend on the Catalan capital Barcelona next month for Catalonia’s National Day La Diada, although organisers have admitted that registrations at this stage are down on last year.

La Diada on September 11 is a focal point for the Catalan independence movement and last year saw more than a million people take to the streets for the event.

However, organiser the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) said registrations had fallen to 37,500 at this stage compared to 50,000 last year. This year’s motto is Objectiu independència (Objective independence), the slogan emblazoned on the T-shirts and other merchandise.

La Diada will take place as 12 political prisoners and others accused over the 2017 indyref, await the verdicts in their trial. The ANC and Omnium Cultural are seeking to distance themselves from the political aspects of the day, largely due to the lack of unity between the pro-independence parties.

Putting unity ahead of personalities, the ANC will not invite any political representatives to the space reserved for VIPs this year – a view shared by Catalan Government spokesperson, Meritxell Budó, who said: “La Diada is not for the government or the parties; it belongs to the people and entities that they convene.”