Thousands of bikers ride for Catalan independence

Around 4,500 bikers rallied in the Montmelo Circuit in Barcelona, Saturday, before taking to the streets of the city to show their support for the Catalan independence movement. Organisers said a total of 7,000 people attended the event, known as the 'Motorada per la Independencia' (English: Motorada for Independence).

Motorada representative Olga Pelegri stressed the pacific nature of the action, saying "we are here to gain independence, to gain our freedom and we show it in a democratic way." Many of the participants were holding the official Catalan flag and the Estelada flag, a symbol of Catalan separatism.

Catalonia will hold a regional parliamentary election on September 27, just months before the Spanish general election. The two main parties in favour of independence - Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya - will not include a joint list of candidates in this year's vote. Some people expressed solidarity with the Kurdish resistance in Syria too holding flags of the Kurdish militias YPG and YPJ.