Catalonia set to declare independence from Spain within days

Catalonia will declare independence from Spain within days, the region’s leader said late Tuesday after the Spanish king made a televised speech accusing secessionists of fracturing society.

Carles Puigdemont pledged to defy Madrid and implement the results of Sunday's banned independence referendum which went ahead despite a violent crackdown by Spanish police that left 900 people injured.

"We are to declare independence 48 hours after all the official results are counted," he said in an interview with the BBC. "This will probably finish once we get all the votes in from abroad at the end of the week and therefore we shall probably act over the weekend or early next week."

Spain has been rocked by the poll and the Spanish police response to it, which saw batons and rubber bullets used to prevent people voting. The bloody scenes brought international condemnation.

Catalans took part in a general strike and protest Tuesday, shutting down road traffic, public transport and businesses and ratcheting up fears of unrest.

The region held a referendum on Sunday – deemed illegal by Madrid – that was tarnished as Spanish police used force to deter voters.

Bloody scenes erupted in Barcelona in a day of shame for the government as over 800 people were injured.

The Catalans claim that 2.26million people took part in the poll – around 42% of the electorate.

And the results were overwhelming – with 90% of people voting for independence.

But Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the referendum “only served to cause serious harm to coexistence” and vowed to stop the north-eastern region from breaking away.