Catalonia referendum: 90% voted for independence, say officials – as it happened

Small counter protests have formed in the centre of Madrid in Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. Groups of people are waving Spanish flags, chanting “I am Spanish” and “Spanish united, never divided.”

The Guardia Civil has broken its silence following several videos of brutality against voters. The police force said it was “resisting harassment and provocation” while completing its functions “in defence of the law”.

The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has condemned the violence, and asked the Spanish government to let Catalans vote peacefully.

Videos of police brutality against voters are going viral on social media. Spanish journalist Héctor Juanatey has posted footage of police forcibly removing voters outside a polling station at Guinardò market in Barcelona.

Another video shows police dragging a voter out of a polling station by their hair at Ramon Llull school in the Catalan capital.

Catalan local media are reporting today’s La Liga game between Barcelona and Las Palmas may be suspended after Las Palmas announced they will wear a Spanish flag on their kit to show support for “the unity of Spain”.

In a statement, the club said: “Today, what we do is very simple. With the Spanish flag embroidered in our equipment we want to vote unequivocally in an imaginary vote to which nobody has summoned us: we believe in the unity of Spain.”

Barcelona’s footballers have expressed their support for today’s referendum. Former captain Carles Puyol tweeted “voting is democracy” this morning, while Catalan defender Gerard Piqué posted a photo casting a vote.

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said what is happening in Catalonia is “an embarrassment”, and called for the Spanish state to let Catalans vote in peace.

The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, has told reporters that “violence will not stop Catalans from voting”. The Catalan government says 38 people have been treated by emergency services in the disorder.

The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has tweeted about the ”shocking” scenes in some parts of Catalonia this morning.

Catalonia’s government says 38 people have been treated by emergency services due to “repression by Spanish police”.

The Spanish interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, has described the response of the Guardia Civil and Spanish police as “proportional and professional”, posting a video of an officer helping a father and child in Sant Julia de Ramis, Girona.