Hundreds injured as police cracks down on Catalan referendum

Spanish police launched a widespread crackdown on Catalonia's disputed independence referendum on Sunday, raiding polling stations and firing rubber bullets in a concerted attempt to deny the vote's legitimacy.

In scenes that reverberated around Spain, riot police smashed their way into some polling locations and beat back voters with batons as they attempted to take part in the referendum, as hundreds of injuries were reported, report CNN.

Barcelona's mayor says at least 460 people were injured as police used force to try to prevent voting in Catalonia's independence referendum.

Spanish National Police prevent people from entering a voting site at a school assigned to be a polling station by the Catalan government in Barcelona. Photo source: CNN

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont condemned "indiscriminate aggression" against peaceful voters.

Spanish authorities had earlier said they were determined to prevent as many people as possible from casting ballots in the referendum, which Spain's top court has declared illegal.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said authorities had succeeded in closing down 92 of about 2,300 polling stations. 

The national government is implacably opposed to any breakaway moves by the northeastern region.

Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, in a press conference in Madrid on Sunday, blamed the violence on the "crazy rush" of the Catalan regional government to hold the "unconstitutional" vote.

The referendum couldn't be held, and it's not been held. To carry on with this farce makes no sense, it doesn't lead anywhere," she said.

Defending the national police actions, Saenz de Santamaria said their objective had been to seize material associated with the referendum and not to target Catalans.

She called on the Catalan government to halt its "irresponsible behavior" and call off the vote. "Despite the blatant illegality of this, they wanted to continue, using children and old people recklessly."