CATALONIA is set to defy any attempt by Madrid to impose direct rule over the region which will see the region’s police stand in defiance of control from the Spanish capital, The Daily Express reports.

The north east region’s government, based in Barcelona, said it was confident officials, including the police - Mossos d'Esquadra - would defy attempts to enforce direct rule on the semi-autonomous region, should Article 155 of the constitution be activated.

Any refusal to carry out the wishes of Madrid could lead to unrest in the region, which as hinted at civil disobedience towards the Spanish government as it continues to crackdown on Catalonia over its independence referendum carried out on October 1.

Catalonia went ahead with the vote despite Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, backed by the Constitutional Court, deeming the vote illegal and attempting to halt the referendum with both the Guardia Civil and the national police using brutal methods to stop people from voting.

But leaders of the secessionist campaign said the referendum, in which 43 per cent of the electorate voted, gave them a mandate to claim independence from the rest of Spain.

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