Thousands of university students clad in pro-independence symbolism protested on the streets here on Monday to mark the one year anniversary of a secessionist referendum in Catalonia region that was ruled illegal by Spain's judiciary.

The action by student groups in favour of Catalan independence from Spain coincided with similar demonstrations across Catalonia organized by the Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), a network of civic groups set up in a bid to uphold the legitimacy of the 2017 ballot and the creation of a Catalan Republic.