Catalans 'vote for independence' after Spanish police smash into polling stations to stop them voting

Spanish police enter a polling station at Sabadell
Rex Features
Eleanor Rose2 October 2017

Nine out of 10 voters in Catalonia have backed independence in an "illegal" referendum which was marred by violence, officials said.

Ninety per cent of the 2.2 million people who turned out to cast their ballots supported independence, a Catalan official said.

The result, which Catalonian leader Carles Puigdemont said gives Catalonia "the right to become an independent state", came after Barcelona's mayor announced at least 888 people had been injured in violent clashes.

Catalan regional government spokesman Jordi Turull said nearly eight per cent of voters rejected independence and the rest of the ballots were blank or void.

Fifteen thousand votes were still being counted.

Spain's foreign minister described the police intervention as "proportionate", but "unpleasant"
AFP/Getty Images

Mr Turull said the ballots that gave Monday's preliminary result did not include those confiscated by Spanish police during violent raids Sunday aimed at stopping the vote.

Brutal scenes saw police smash into polling stations and charge on civilians, kicking and stamping on them, while rubber bullets were fired into crowds.

Shocking footage emerged of riot police grappling with voters and smashing through windows to break into voting stations.

Officers broke down doors to force entry into voting stations as defiant Catalans shouted "Out with the occupying forces!" and sang the anthem of the wealthy northeastern region.

Police face voters in the banned referendum
Getty Images

Mr Puigdemont said he would make an appeal to the European Union to look into alleged human rights violations by the Spanish government on Sunday.

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, has rejected calls from the opposition for the UK to intervene with the Spanish government, insisting the referendum "is a matter for the Spanish government and people".

Spain's foreign minister said the violence seen as police tried to prevent people from voting was "unfortunate" and "unpleasant" but "proportionate."

Spain’s deputy prime minister said officers had used "firmness and proportionality" as the Government tried to shut down the banned referendum.

Hundreds of people are reported to have been injured in the clashes
Getty Images

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Sunday night said "no referendum has been held" as Spain's constitution does not allow for a regional government to unilaterally call a plebiscite on secession.

Sunday's referendum, the culmination of years of growing tensions between Madrid and Barcelona, was called despite a court decision to suspend the vote.

Catalan leaders said they had to go ahead with it since they had campaigned in the last election on promises to hold a referendum.

Thirty-three police officers were said to have been injured in the violence.

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