Everybody loves Barcelona - capital of the Catalan region of Spain.
But despite the sun, sea, and parties...
Pure tequila right there.
..something's not right.
And even the tourists can feel it.
When we came over here for our stag do, we were just here for fun.
Independence is potentially going to fuck that shit up tomorrow.
You have to admit it's very similar to the Scottish independence.
The divide is unbelievable!
Catalonia is facing a crisis of identity.
And it's defining a generation.
CROWD CHANTS
Some want an independent Catalonia.
Others want a united Spain.
On 1st October, the Catalan government,
led by Carlos Puigdemont, held a referendum on independence.
But it was declared illegal by Madrid.
Spain sent the national police to stop the vote.
He started to kick my dad here.
The first one was here. They are crazy.
The violence hardened feelings on both sides.
WHISTLING AND APPLAUSE
In one corner, the Catalan government
claiming a victory for independence.
In the other, the Spanish threatening direct rule.
HE SPEAKS IN SPANISH
Catalonia is in limbo and like many voters,
Laura is losing patience with the politicians.
The youth are taking to the streets.
This is their story.
IN SPANISH
Among the activists is Paul, a Communist who is excited that
independence could be a new beginning.
IN SPANISH
Tonight, there's a spontaneous protest
by the independence movement.
Two of their leaders have been jailed.
Alex, who runs his own business, is on his way to the demo.
I want independence because I really love my culture and my language
and I think it's very, very hard to keep this culture alive
and I feel anxious, like many other people right now.
But I think it is worse if we just stay in the country we are now.
We had a huge economical crisis.
Capitalism crisis in 2008.
And myself, and many other people, had to move to England
to look for a job because there was no future here.
It's just many different things that...
end up on this.
We've got the right, I think.
CROWD CHANTS
I want independence so we can decide more for ourselves.
So our voices are more representative in the Parliament.
The national police, who put down the vote, are circling overhead.
No-one is going to give us independence,
we will have to fight to get it.
Every action that the Spanish government takes,
it's more independence on the streets.
I think it's something worth to fight for.
It's basically power to the people.
People deciding for their own future, that's the way I see it.
BANGING ON POTS AND PANS
At 10pm, people who want independence make themselves heard.
This has happened every night since the vote.
But it's clear not everyone is on board.
Without a legal referendum,
it's impossible to know how many people really want independence.
Ernesto feels Catalonia belongs in Spain.
Who do you think is better at getting the message out?
CROWD CHANTS
THEY CONTINUE CHANTING
The crowd shout for the Catalan leader to be sent to jail.
The cause of a united Spain has attracted far right nationalists.
It brings back ugly memories.
Just over 40 years ago,
Spain was ruled by fascist dictator General Franco.
Today, there are still parties in Spain considered fascist.
The Falange party commands less than 1% of the vote.
Jose Antonio is a member.
Law and order is confusing here.
The Catalan police chief is facing charges of sedition.
Forces under his command didn't prevent the referendum.
They now enjoy celebrity status among independence supporters.
It was the national police who cracked down on voters.
Now, the local police are all that stand between the national police
and an angry crowd.
Spain has sent thousands of reinforcements.
They're stationed off shore.
It's up to politicians to try and restore a sense of order.
But the Catalan parliament is divided as to
what their government's next move should be.
Republican left MP Gerard
thinks Catalonia should defy Spain,
and declare full independence.
But there is opposition to independence within
the Catalan parliament too.
Judith, a councillor from the Socialist Party,
wants to get back to normal, with Catalonia firmly in Spain.
The most important thing is to recognise that Spain is
a nation of nations.
My mother, she's from Andalusia, and my father, he's from Catalonia.
I don't want to go to the town of my mother being like, foreign,
so it's hard.
I cannot imagine this like now.
I'm pretty nervous, and really sad.
And I'm worried about, er,
this situation.
Eventually, with neither Spain nor the Catalan government
willing to back down, Spain prepares to impose direct rule over
Catalonia, using Article 155 of the constitution.
For Paul, a pro-independence communist,
this just raises the stakes.
Just minutes before Spain imposes direct rule,
the Catalan government plays the only card it has left...
..a unilateral declaration of independence.
The independence party gets started.
But Spain has already fired Puigdemont,
and taken control of the Catalan government machine.
The law is catching up with Spain's rogue state.
Spain has told Catalonia they can elect a new government in December.
Independence activists like Alex are determined to fight on.
We will not surrender, we'll not give up.
I don't think they realise at all that
with everything they do, every step they take,
everything they take from us, it makes us stronger.
And people that would not care about independence three years ago
now are completely pro-independence.
Have you considered just how difficult it is
to start a new country?
I think things could be worse, of course.
They'll be worse. They'll be worse
for ten years, 15 years.
Who knows?
But, eventually, they'll be better.
And even...
I would not mind to be a poorer country.
As long as we're more free.
THEY CHANT
It's been very intense.
Every hour something changes, and...
It's been too much.
I hope it gets to an end soon and a happy ending, for sure.
But I have the very bad feeling
that it's just the very beginning,
that we haven't even got started yet.