World leaders condemn Spain violence as Catalonia leader claims region has ‘won right’ to independence

THE leader of Catalonia has claimed the region has “won the right” to independence after 90 per cent of voters backed separation from the Spanish state.

The defiant bid to hold a vote on separating from Spain - despite the central government branding the move “illegal” - descended into violence which left 850 injured.

Hundreds were hurt as riot police attacked peaceful protesters and unarmed civilians gathered to cast their ballots. Thirty-three cops were also injured.

Catalonia - which has its capital in Barcelona - is a fiercely independent region of north eastern Spain that borders southern France.

Spain allows the region - which has its own language and culture - a range of powers in a bid to quell its wish for independence from Madrid.

But in the wake of the violence, the Catalan regional president last night declared Catalonia had "won the right to become an independent state".

Speaking in Barcelona after polls closed, Carles Puigdemont said: "Today the Spanish state wrote another shameful page in its history with Catalonia."

He added: "With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form a republic."

And he vowed to call on the EU to look into alleged human rights violations that he said took place during the chaos.

Spanish cops fired rubber bullets and beat hundreds of protesters with batons as they tried to disperse massive crowds.

Police forcibly dragged people out of polling stations by their hair as they tried to cast their ballots.

And an officer in the Fort Pienc neighbourhood of Barcelona was seen jumping into a crowd of sitting protesters with a flying kick before colleagues threw other voters down the stairs.

Brit minster Liam Fox “condemned the violence” meted out to Catalan voters.

He insisted it “was a matter for the Government of Spain”, saying Madrid views the referendum as illegal and “they have a right to uphold the law”.

But he said: “I think we must regret the violence that we have seen we can all condemn the violence.”

Fox was not alone, with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon saying: "Regardless of views on independence, we should all condemn the scenes being witnessed and call on Spain to change course before someone is seriously hurt."

And Belgian PM Charles Michel said: "Violence can never be the answer! We condemn all forms of violence and reaffirm our call for political dialogue."

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the UK Government was “worried” about the violence.

But he echoed his Departmental line, by saying the independence referendum was “not constitutional”.

But tonight the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy thanked police — saying they acted with "firmness and serenity" while insisting the referendum did not take place.

This morning police began seizing ballot boxes and voting papers after being ordered to do so by the national government in Madrid to stop the vote going ahead.

Addressing a cheering crowd in a Barcelona gym hall that was used as a polling station until it was raided by cops, Puigdemont said the “police brutality will shame the Spanish state forever”.

He had intended to vote at the Sant Julia e Ramis polling station but was forced to vote elsewhere following the police raid.

He added: "Today, the Spanish state has lost much more than what it had already lost, while Catalonia has won."

The regional administration earlier said voting was taking place in 73 per cent of approximately 6,000 polling stations today — but the true figure is likely to be lower following the tough crackdown.

And one official said tonight that preliminary results showed 90 per cent of people were favour of independence.

The number of people injured was tonight tallied at 844, officials said — sparking calls for a general strike in the region this week.

Jordi Turull, a spokesman for the Catalan administration, earlier called for voters to remain calm and patient but to defend “in a civic and peaceful manner” their right to vote.

He added that “the world has seen the violence of the Spanish state,” describing the actions of the police as “repression that is a reminder of the Franco era”.

He made the comment in reference to Spain’s dictatorship from 1939-1975 under the fascist rule of General Francisco Franco.

The Spanish government described the referendum as a "farce" and Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, the deputy prime minister of Spain, said the police had acted with "firmness and proportionality".

She accused the Catalan administration of irresponsibility and added: "There hasn’t been a referendum or the semblance of one."

The government had sent thousands of police from across the country to Catalonia over the past few days ahead of the referendum.

The mayor of Barcelona called for the Spanish PM to resign over the violence.

Ada Colau said: "If this is a democracy, the police action should be stopped immediately so we can later have a dialogue, which is what is needed.”

She added: "Rajoy has to clearly step down because he has failed in his political responsibilities."

She also called for "an immediate end to police charges against the defenceless population".

This morning dozens of police used riot shields in Barcelona to push people back as would-be voters were heard chanting "we are people of peace" and "we are not afraid".

Images shared online showed men and women left bleeding after being beaten by police armed with batons and guns firing plastic bullets.

FC Barcelona's match against Las Palmas is taking place behind closed doors in response to the crackdown.

The club had wanted to call the game off but were told they weren't allowed to by Spain's footballing authorities.

Pictures also emerged of Catalan firefighters wearing their uniforms and helmets separating protesters from the national police.

And Catalan police were seen protecting protesters who were chanting outside a polling station.

Voting was due to start 7am GMT (9am local time) this morning with some rural areas unaffected by the national police's presence in the region.

Competing demonstrations have taken place over the last few days with both sides attempting a show of force.

Pro-Spain protesters were encouraged not to participate in the vote to prevent giving it legitimacy.

Pro-Catalan demonstrators were arrested yesterday after holding a noisy protest using saucepans to voice their displeasure at the behaviour of the Madrid government before the vote.

Catalonian independence has been a long-running issue in the country and has its roots in the former Kingdom of Aragon which existed until the 18th century.

Spain is comprised of multiple former kingdoms with each region granted different levels of autonomous power such as raising their own taxes and running public services.

Catalonia was granted significant autonomy when it joined a unified Spain in 1931 but these powers were abolished in 1938 by General Franco following the Spanish Civil War.

Hostility has been brewing ever since and, following the dictator's death in 1975, the Catalan independence movement has been trying to win back some of these lost powers.

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