DHAKA: Tens of thousands of Catalan separatists have taken part in a final rally ahead of a planned referendum on independence from Spain, reports BBC.
The referendum is supposed to be held on Sunday (October 1).
Regional President Carles Puigdemont told the rally that he believed Catalonia would be taking its first steps as a sovereign nation.
Thousands of extra police have been drafted in from across Spain as the government seeks to stop the ballot.
Google, however, has deleted an app used to direct voters to polling stations.
Phone users in the region who try to download the app from Google Play get a message saying it is not available locally although those who already have the app can still use it.
The corporation said it was complying with a court order.
Catalonia, a wealthy region of 7.5 million people in north-eastern Spain has its own language and culture, and a high degree of autonomy, but is not recognised as a separate nation under the Spanish constitution.
Pressure for a vote on self-determination has grown over the past five years but in the 2015 regional election, won by an alliance of pro-independence parties, about 40% of voters backed parties loyal to Spain.
Masses of referendum materials have been confiscated by police in recent weeks and officials involved in running the campaign face prosecution.
Police across Catalonia have been ordered to prevent public buildings being used as polling stations on Sunday.
However, the Catalan government said on Friday it planned to open more than 2,000 polling stations regardless.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy stared down Catalan secessionists when they held a trial referendum in 2014, offering no concessions to their demand for a legal vote.
He has pledged to stop the 2017 vote, saying it goes against the constitution which refers to "the indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards".
Spanish unionists argue Catalonia already enjoys broad autonomy within Spain, along with other regions like the Basque Country and Galicia.
BDST: 1430 HRS, SEP 30, 2017
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