IN CATALONIA: Dark clouds hung low over Barcelona last night, as an estimated 1.2 million people converged on the city centre for a "demonstration of unity and solidarity with the people of Madrid".
Metropolitan Transport of Barcelona (TMB) put on extra metros to cope with the throngs of people travelling into the centre of the city for the demonstration, but the sheer volume of the crowds meant that many people were unable to board the over-full trains.
The Spanish government, in association with the government of Catalonia, took out a full-page advertisement in Barcelona's daily broadsheet newspaper La Vanguardia yesterday, calling on all citizens of Barcelona to demonstrate that evening "for the victims, for the constitution, for an end to terrorism".
President of the Catalan government Mr Pasqual Maragall commended the protesters for their "tremendous" response to the call. Orange street lights and white candles lit up the sombre faces of the enormous crowd that gathered in Passeig de Gracia at 7 p.m. to express its outrage at Thursday morning's atrocity.
No chants were shouted and no voices were raised in anger as the citizens of Barcelona began the demonstration with eerie silence interspersed with rhythmic clapping.
Some held aloft cardboard cut-outs of giant white hands, others waved placards printed with homemade anti-war slogans: No More Terrorism, No More War, No More Bombs, No More Blood.
They held up their hands, palms facing outwards. The hands were old and young; some were the tiny hands of children. There were hands with wedding bands, hands painted white, hands clad in white gloves.
Young girls had CND signs and teardrops painted on their cheeks. Many shed real tears. Several banners declaring "Barcelona with Madrid" were carried through the streets. Spanish flags hung from windows. Catalan flags were draped around the shoulders of some - large black ribbons painted over the thin, horizontal red and yellow stripes.
A large group of women held A4 sheets to their chests: "198 Victims. Thanks Aznar For Bringing The War To Spain."
"More and more people are starting to believe that the bombs were carried out by al-Qaeda and not by Eta," explained Ms Helga Fernandez (28), a nurse and native of the city, who was handing out the sheets to other protesters who shared her views.
"The ironic thing is that, just a few months ago, we demonstrated against the war in Iraq in this very street. Nobody agreed with Spain's support of the war, everyone was against it. But he \ didn't listen. Now look what has happened," she added.
It is a common sentiment among the demonstrators: placards bearing the photograph of a victorious José María Aznar after his re-election in 2000 were accompanied by the slogan, "It All Started Here".
When the First Vice President of Spain, Mr Rodrigo Rato, and the President of the Popular Party of Catalonia, Mr Josep Pique, arrived at the demonstration, they were loudly booed.
"Liars out!" shouted voices in the crowd, to the applause of others. "Killers!" chimed in more. The politicians were forced to squeeze their way out through the crowds of angry demonstrators, with the accusation ringing in their ears.
Helicopters whirred overhead as the heaving throng made its way down to Plaza Catalunya, where the lonesome air of a cellist fit the mood of the evening.Some demonstrators stayed for hours, praying for the victims of Thursday's massacre.
The demonstrators were made up of teenagers in leather jackets, septuagenarians in overcoats, business men in suits, mothers with their babies in buggies, fathers with their sons hoisted up onto their shoulders, women clasping their young daughters' hands. A Basque man wearing a black beret held a placard that asked for "An End To Terrorism".
Earlier in the day, at precisely two o'clock, shopkeepers drew down their shutters, children teemed out of school gates, the university closed its large oak doors and offices all across the city were vacated, signalling the start of Catalonia's "three official days of mourning and solidarity with the city of Madrid".
Black ribbons were pinned to restaurant windows, lamp-posts, schoolbags and lapels. Theatres cancelled their shows. Museums and libraries closed.
City Hall opened books of condolence on Thursday.
"The people of Catalonia share the immeasurable grief and pain of our friends in Madrid," ran one message, the ink blurred by fallen tears.
"Today our broken hearts beat as one."