Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola gestures after delivering a speech during a protest organised by the National Assembly for Catalonia, to support the call for referendum in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 11, 2017.
"We have tried on 18 occasions to reach an agreement on a referendum and the answer has always been no", Guardiola said.
Among the protesters was Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who called for Catalans to vote in the October 1 referendum, El Pais reported.
"We call on all democracies in Europe and around the world to stand by us in defending the rights under threat in Catalonia, such as freedom of political expression and the right to vote to face up to the abuses of an authoritarian state".
Catalonia regional government leader Carles Puigdemont on June 9, announced his plan for the vote in defiance of Madrid and a ruling from Spain's Constitutional Court that Catalonia's 2014 independence vote was illegal.
Surveys suggest Catalan voters would narrowly reject independence, though most favour holding a referendum.
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Local authorities say that about 30,000 people attended, but a separatist source put the figure closer to 47,000.
"I think independence is the only solution", said Ramon Fon, a retired 67-year-old at the rally.
The latest regional government poll found that 73 percent of Catalans were in favour of holding a referendum similar to the one held by Scotland in 2014 - though that one had the approval of the British government.
The same regional poll found that 48.5 percent of respondents opposed independence, while 44.3 percent supported it.
His promise followed a vote in the Catalonian parliament in favor of a second referendum on leaving Spain.
Catalonia, a wealthy region of 7.5 million people, is fiercely proud of its language and customs and has long demanded greater autonomy from Madrid.
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