Catalonia’s independence referendum concluded Sunday night here in Barcelona, the Catalan capital, amid deep uncertainty about everything from the integrity of the vote to the meaning of the result.
Despite claims from Spain’s central government in Madrid that the referendum was illegal and the result would not be recognized, a spokesperson for the Catalan regional government announced early Monday morning that 2,262,424 valid votes had been cast and counted — 90 percent of them in favor of independence from Spain.
"Out of the 2,262,424 ballots that were not seized, 2,020,144 were YES votes, 176,566 were NO votes, 45,586 in blank and 20,129 null votes"
— Catalan Government (@catalangov) October 1, 2017
Immediately after the announcement, Spanish reporters pressed the spokesperson, Jordi Turull, to say what it meant for the referendum that the 2,262,424 voters comprised just 42 percent of Catalonia’s 5,343,358 eligible voters. Turull argued that ballot boxes seized by the Spanish police in an effort to block the referendum could have contained up to 700,000 more votes, meaning that more than 55 percent of the population might have attempted to take part in the referendum.
The counting, under strained circumstances, came at the end of a long day, which began before dawn with voters and poll workers across the region defending polling places from closure by national and regional police forces, acting on orders from Spain’s constitutional court to block the vote.
100s of referendum supporters wait at a Barcelona polling place where activists spent the night; plan passive resistance when police come pic.twitter.com/9RGf6bWV4B
— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) October 1, 2017
Catalan police dispatched to close polling station greeted by chants of "We will vote!" pic.twitter.com/xMmBuYZIv5
— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) October 1, 2017
Emotional scenes in Gracia with rounds of applause for elderly voters emerging from polling place for #CatalanReferendum defying police pic.twitter.com/fnvya6NaNB
— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) October 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/JoanRabasseda/status/914525290549870593
Crits de #hemvotat quan passen les 20h a l'escola Antoni Balmanya del Camp de l'Arpa del Clot @btvnoticies pic.twitter.com/AOv45zEAHm
— Cristina Brotons (@BrotonsCristina) October 1, 2017
Voters in Barcelona chanted “We have voted,” as the referendum ended.
La plaça Catalunya salta de alegría al escuchar que, según el Govern, 2 millones de catalanes han dicho sí a la independencia. pic.twitter.com/aC99niOq5s
— Guillem Andrés (@Guillem_Andres) October 1, 2017
Activists in Barcelona’s Plaça de Catalunya erupted as the Catalan government announced that more than 2 million votes had been cast in favor of independence.
The effort to conduct a public exercise in democracy while simultaneously hiding ballot boxes from the police gave rise to surreal scenes across the region.
Vidéo incroyable de la ville d'Igualada, à une heure de Barcelone. Une haie d'honneur et de protection citoyenne pour les urnes, transportées à la mairie pour dépouillement (images Daniel Farre) #ReferendumCatalan pic.twitter.com/vdqeqd9ptY
— Frédéric Autran (@fredericautran) October 1, 2017
Poll workers in Igualada, outside Barcelona, raced to prevent the police from confiscating ballot boxes.
While the atmosphere at many polling places in the region was tense but calm, with limited efforts to block voting by the autonomous Catalan police force, known as the Mossos, images of Spanish police forces from outside the region using violence at a few polling places stunned and angered even those in the region opposed to secession.

Spanish police officers used force to keep voters in parts of Barcelona from taking part in a referendum on Catalonia’s independence on Sunday.
Speaking as poll workers counted those ballots that had not been seized by the police, Carles Puigdemont, the leader of the Catalan Generalitat, a local executive with centuries of history, suggested that the next steps could take time. Puigdemont made clear, however, that he expected the vote to result in the formation of “an independent state.”
(4) Avui Catalunya ha guanyat molts referèndums. Tenim dret a la llibertat, a viure en pau, fora d'un Estat que només etén la imposició pic.twitter.com/WrfclxVQEG
— krls.eth / Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) October 1, 2017
“Today, we have earned our right to sovereignty and respect,” Puigdemont said, calling on the European Union to help mediate dialogue with Spain. “This is no longer an internal affair, this is a European affair,” he added.
Some European leaders, including the Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, had indeed deplored the use of force by Spanish police officers against Catalan voters.
Violence can never be the answer! We condemn all forms of violence and reaffirm our call for political dialogue #CatalanReferendum #Spain
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) October 1, 2017
Although an international observer mission of former parliamentarians praised the referendum, the EU released a statement Monday morning making it clear that it would not intervene in what it considers an internal affair of a member state. The European Commission added that in the event of a subsequent referendum considered legal by Spain, Catalonia would find itself outside the EU.
Legal position: If referendum were to be organised in line with the Spanish Const. = territory leaving would find itself outside of EU.
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) October 2, 2017
Earlier on Sunday, Turull hailed the courage of voters who had turned out in large numbers, braving long lines and what he called “savage” violence inflicted by police officers from outside the region.
Images that Madrid has been fearing as police uses force to remove young and old from voting stations. @FT pic.twitter.com/F09fpak5FI
— Michael Stothard (@MStothard) October 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/gerardalbacete7/status/914394912308776960
Escuela adultos Freire, en Barcelona, @policia ha requisado urnas y herido a esta mujer, cuentan quienes estaban https://t.co/TCgRopKo81 pic.twitter.com/KGwso66BwI
— Rebeca Carranco (@RebecaCarranco) October 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/LuzSanchis/status/914421795817705472
Así ha entrado la policía en la Escola Tomàs Moro en Nou Barris. #CatalanReferendum pic.twitter.com/4YzH6YULoH
— El Salto (@ElSaltoDiario) October 1, 2017
La Policia Nacional requisant les urnes a l'Escola Ramon Llull @btvnoticies pic.twitter.com/p14RzxlGOR
— Clara Vera Colina (@ClaraVera14) October 1, 2017
DIRECTO | La Guardia Civil rompe los cristales del polideportivo donde tiene previsto votar Puigdemont https://t.co/YC5BopIniH pic.twitter.com/1o21j8tOlX
— EL PAÍS Catalunya (@elpaiscatalunya) October 1, 2017
així ens han tractat al cap guinardó. imatges de jordi folch pic.twitter.com/q35tOc5n1u
— natza farré (@natzafarre) October 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/CatalansForYes/status/914485965737078784
Man injured in Girona "this happened in ceip Verd" pic.twitter.com/NxVzP6EOVE
— Anna Codina (@ultrasonica) October 1, 2017
“We want to live in peace without violence,” Puigdemont said, “outside a state that can give us no reason to be with them.”
The Catalan leader underscored his outrage on Twitter, sharing images of voters being beaten and a political cartoon comparing the anti-referendum police violence to an iconic image from the Spanish civil war of a Republican soldier being killed by fascists.
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 1, 2017
In Madrid, Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy seemed untroubled by the shocking images of police violence, which he made no mention of in a televised address. Rajoy instead insisted that the Catalan referendum, which he called “an attack” on the Spanish state, had been so severely hampered that it effectively had “not taken place.”
Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy: "Today there was no referendum of self-determination in #Cataluña" pic.twitter.com/47Qhf2MdaD (via @24h_tve)
— Jack Quann (@jqbilbao) October 1, 2017
As British journalist Paul Mason reported from the Plaça de Catalunya in central Barcelona, where supporters of independence watched the prime minister’s speech, his remarks seemed to many in Catalonia to have come not just from a different country, but a parallel universe.
I'm standing in a square of 30k + educated, cultured Europeans hearing Rajoy tell they did not take part in a referendum
— Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) October 1, 2017
Boos and "resign!" shouts as Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy speaks #CatalanReferendum pic.twitter.com/iQV5urmSmv
— Jon Sindreu (@jonsindreu) October 1, 2017
After claiming that the referendum had been stopped, ignoring the vast numbers of votes cast before the eyes of the international press, Rajoy went on to praise the national police officers deployed to the region who, he insisted had “reacted in a peaceful way,” despite copious visual evidence that they used excessive force to disperse voters at some polling places who were clearly peaceful.
Cops i empentes als manifestants. La @policia ordena rodejar. Agents demanen "siusplau" pas. La gent resisteix a terra. pic.twitter.com/ENlyynE9L6
— SER CATALUNYA (@SERCatalunya) October 1, 2017
La Policia Nacional espanyola intenta desallotjar el col·legi Jaume Balmes de Barcelona https://t.co/mIW0ayrE7j #refND pic.twitter.com/P9GAZHIcuj
— NacióDigital (@naciodigital) October 1, 2017
Som gent de pau! Grita la gente pic.twitter.com/DzKw5sUB92
— Clara Blanchar (@clarablanchar) October 1, 2017
Video shows riot police charging unprovoked, at citizens including seniors #violence #catalanreferendum #girona pic.twitter.com/xzNNR7zYlX
— Anna Codina (@ultrasonica) October 1, 2017
This is video from minutes ago, riot police charging and firing shots in #girona, credit to @ri_ta_na who is a journalist pic.twitter.com/tpWTS08iyd
— Anna Codina (@ultrasonica) October 1, 2017
The most severe injuries, the Catalan government said, were caused by the firing of rubber bullets, which required two voters to undergo surgery.
Moment en que sóc colpejat per l’esquena i al cap. Mentre gravava #CatalanReferendum pic.twitter.com/UIkdXfTwuK
— XabiBarrena (@XabiBarrena) October 1, 2017
Police are firing rubber bullets at voters during protests as the independence referendum gets under way #CatalonianReferendum pic.twitter.com/XNEuwwgZ7S
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 1, 2017
Ada Colau, Barcelona’s mayor, who opposes independence for Catalonia, but insisted that the region should have been allowed to vote on the matter freely, called on Rajoy to resign.
"All police operations against us, a people calling for rights and freedoms, must stop." @AdaColau pic.twitter.com/OCjEP7hyqd
— Ajuntament de BCN (@bcn_ajuntament) October 1, 2017
As the Catalans stressed their commitment to nonviolence, several voters at a polling place in Barcelona told me that it was outrageous that their region was given less autonomy than another part of Spain, the Basque Country, where militants had for years carried out terrorist attacks in pursuit of independence.
While thousands of police officers from outside Catalonia took the heavy-handed measures to stop voting at a small number of polling places that drew the most media attention, the larger regional force restricted its efforts to issuing stern warnings to voters and standing aside as ballots were cast.
Mossos tell the crowd: 'What you are doing is illegal. We are asking you to hand over ballot papers & pens, after that we can do nothing'
— Mike Wade (@mikewadejourno) October 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/notzachcampbell/status/914375987105816578
Police ask who is in charge at polling place; crowd answers, "Everyone!" pic.twitter.com/UCgtXJevQx
— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) October 1, 2017
For this “passivity,” the Catalan force was severely criticized by the central government’s representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo.
The regional government, in turn, called for Millo to resign.
Spokesman Turull: "On behalf of the Catalan Government, we ask @EnricMillo to step down as the Spanish state's delegate in Catalonia"
— Catalan Government (@catalangov) October 1, 2017
In response to the violence, the board of Football Club Barcelona — the team that was, for years under the Franco dictatorship, a focus of Catalan national pride — demanded that a match scheduled for Sunday afternoon be postponed. The Spanish league, however, denied the request, apparently as part of an official effort to pretend that all was well in Catalonia.
Statement from Barça condemns "today's actions in Catalunya preventing citizens from exercising and expressing their democratic rights" pic.twitter.com/cfWODWAGb7
— AS USA (@English_AS) October 1, 2017
The club then decided to go ahead with the match against Las Palmas, a team from the Canary Islands that had been granted permission to add Spanish flag patches to their jerseys for the game, but in an empty stadium to make it clear that the day was anything but normal.
Busquets scores pic.twitter.com/OjsvcSe8Is
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) October 1, 2017
Among those most clearly moved by the day’s events was Gerard Piqué, a Catalan native who stars for both the club and the Spanish national team. The defender, who expressed pride when he voted earlier in the day, was visibly shaken as he addressed the media after the game.
Ja he votat. Junts som imparables defensant la democràcia. pic.twitter.com/mGXf7Qj1TM
— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) October 1, 2017
A tearful Gerard Piqué says he will quit the Spain team if his support for the #CatalanReferendum becomes an issue pic.twitter.com/bdMdctJ1v9
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) October 2, 2017
Piqué, whose Catalan nationalism has led to him being booed by Spaniards when he represents the country, teared up as he said that he would be willing to stop playing for Spain if he is no longer wanted.
Gerard #Pique in tears: I am proud of #Catalonia
If the national team don't want me, I'll leave #CatalanReferendumpic.twitter.com/4g4e8crv5e— Jamie Johnson (@JamieoJohnson) October 1, 2017
Several of the fan-owned club’s members, including the former captain and manager Pep Guardiola, were angered by the board’s refusal to simply forfeit the match in protest.
https://twitter.com/FCBarcelonaFl/status/914576443820126208
One club member who took part in the effort to defend the referendum, and was among those who slept in a polling station the night before, told The Intercept that he was “ashamed” FC Barcelona had played the match on a day of such violence against Catalans. “I will quit FCB if the board does not resign this week,” the activist said. “Where is the dignity?”
The wounding of more than 800 voters by Spanish police officers provoked widespread anger and even led to scuffles in some places between officers from the autonomous regional force, the Mossos, and Spain’s national guard, the Guardia Civil.
Algunos parecen no tenerlo nada claro. Vergonzoso. pic.twitter.com/NinygR2GMy
— AUGC Guardia Civil ?? (@AUGC_Comunica) October 1, 2017
Un @guardiacivil agredeix amb un cop de porra a un @mossos a Sant Joan de Vilatorrada quan anava a demanar explicacions als agents. pic.twitter.com/8WcrE4fZ3I
— SER CATALUNYA (@SERCatalunya) October 1, 2017
Supporters of Catalan independence in Barcelona, who mobilized to defend the polling places, had anticipated the split between local and national police forces. One activist, a researcher named Jordi who requested that his last name not be used, told me at one occupied polling station in Barcelona the night before the vote that a special bond had formed recently between the population and their police force in the aftermath of the deadly Islamist terrorist attack in Barcelona in August.
When I pointed out that it was natural that the Mossos might react differently than Spanish officers from outside the region since they are Catalan too, Jordi replied that “the question of who is Catalan is difficult,” defying simple definition. But the Mossos officers, even those with roots in other parts of Spain, are all “citizens of Catalonia,” Jordi continued, and the people expect them to defend their fellow citizens, even against threats to public order prompted by orders from Spain’s central government.
Update: Oct. 2, 2017, 7:00 a.m.
This piece was updated to include the referendum result.
Top Photo: Volunteer poll workers counted referendum ballots by the light of their phones during a blackout at the La Llacuna school in the Poble Nou neighborhood of Barcelona on Sunday night.