Pep Guardiola urges Catalunya to vote in referendum as thousands demonstrate in support of 'democracy'

“Referendum means democracy,” says Guardiola, who has called for the international community to appeal to all democrats in Europe and the world to 'support the right to decide'.

He recalls that the regional government has attempted to agree a deal on the referendum with the national government 18 times, but has always been given a flat 'no' and a refusal to even enter into discussions.

The mythical footballer and trainer says democrats round the world should back the people of Catalunya 'against the abuses of an authoritarian State' which has 'ignored us and said 'no' 18 times' despite the referendum idea being backed by 80% of the region's population – whether they support the region's becoming independent or not.

“We're here to make it patently clear that on October 1, we will be voting in a referendum to decide our future,” Guardiola announced in his manifesto during the march in support of the secession election today (Sunday) in Barcelona, attended by several thousand members of the public.

“And we'll vote whether the State wants us to or not.

“Now that the voice of democracy is about to be gagged, now more than ever is when we should head to the polling stations and defend with all our strength our right to democracy and support our elected representatives.

“We have no other option. The only possible response is to vote – the only possible response to Catalunya's having become victims of a State that uses methods of political persecution which have no place in a 21st-century European democracy.”

Guardiola defines this 'persecution' as actions such as 'the interior minister conspiring to destroy the health service', 'political police fabricating false evidence against those in regional government', and 'banning politicians from public office for setting up polling stations'.

He also refers to the 'attempts to end Catalunya's model of schooling' and 'blocking investment in infrastructure'.

The 'political persecution' Guardiola refers to is 'unprecedented' and 'democratically unsustainable', and 'can only be solved with yet more democracy', or by voting on October 1.