In this photo taken on Sept. 24, 2017, demonstrators throw ballot papers to the people gathering in Sant Jaume square in Barcelona, Spain. A confrontation between the central government in Madrid and independence movements in the wealthy northeastern Catalonia region has been gripping Spain for weeks. The conflict is due to come to a head on Sunday Oct. 1, 2017 when Catalonia intends to hold a regional ballot on whether to break away from the rest of Spain, despite government efforts to stop a vote being held. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)