
Far-Right thugs in Barcelona screamed ‘sieg heil’ and performed the Nazi salute in praise of police officers who tried to brutally suppress the Catalan referendum last week, MailOnline can reveal.

The gang of fanatical Fascist unionists spent the afternoon drinking with police after today’s demonstration at the H3 bar next door to the main police station in the city.

They regularly broke into Fascist chants and songs in praise of the police, who they believe were correct in taking extreme measures in trying to stop Catalans from voting last week.

MailOnline entered the pub and caught them on camera lifting their right arms in a Nazi salute in celebration of police.

We also filmed a number of thugs performing the Fascist gesture in the street in full sight of about 20 officers who failed to respond.

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MailOnline photographed a far-right activist doing a fascist salute outside Barcelona’s central police station, which is the headquarters of Spanish officers

Far-Right thugs in Barcelona screamed ‘Sieg Heil’ and performed the Nazi salute at a bar in Barcelona

Explosive pictures from yesterday's anti-independence protest in Madrid appeared to show a number of Falange thugs lining up by the Spanish colours, giving a fascist salute

Fascistas persiguen, pegan y patean en el suelo a un fotógrafo en Barcelona.https://t.co/EB3dfopTY4 pic.twitter.com/PGxYNfkhD3 — Juan Miguel Garrido (@Juanmi_News) October 8, 2017

A far-right mob were seen attacking a photographer. The confrontation was caught on camera and uploaded to the internet by a local newspaper

Desperate Catalan officials banned protestors from carrying fascist symbols in a barely-concealed warning to radical Spanish nationalists that aggression would not be tolerated. Pictured are far-right protesters making fascist salutes yesterday

Separatist leaders begged their supporters to stay at home amid concerns that the huge march could easily descend into violence, justifying even more brutal crackdowns on the region by Madrid

Organisers the Societat Civil Catalana claimed 950,000 marched today but police put the figure at 350,000

Demonstrators challenge Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra regional police officers at the end of the march in Barcelona today

The overall mood of the demonstration, which hundreds of thousands are understood to have attended, soured after a cordial start

The Spanish flag was carried by the enormous crowd as the march moved through the streets of the Spanish capital

It comes as the 'million-strong' anti-independence protest in Spain exploded in violence when a far-right mob was filmed attacking a photographer in the moments after the demonstration.

It follows similar scenes in Madrid yesterday where thugs gave the same salute beside a banned fascist flag.

Other pictures show heavily tattooed young men displaying symbols and flags from the Franco era, which are banned in Spain if they are used to incite violence.

Organisers the Societat Civil Catalana claimed 950,000 marched but police put the figure at 350,000.

This afternoon, Inés Arrimadas, leader of the anti-independence Catalan opposition, sent a controversial tweet asking people not to show Fascist flags ‘in front of the press’. She later deleted the tweet.

Dominating the streets of Catalonia's capital, Barcelona – which has been simmering with tension since the vote – demonstrators waved Spanish flags, chanted 'Viva España' and broke into coordinated waves of applause that echoed along the broad avenues of the city.

Separatist leaders begged their supporters to stay at home amid concerns that the huge march could easily descend into violence, justifying even more brutal crackdowns on the region by Madrid.

People with Spanish and Catalan flags gather for a rally called by the 'Societat Civil Catalana' (Civil Catalan Society) in downtown Barcelona

Separatist leaders begged their supporters to stay at home amid concerns that the huge march could easily descend into violence

Protesters hold up a 'no Catxit' banner, in reference to Brexit, during the pro-union demonstration

A demonstrator shouts slogans as they march to protest

Catalonia's president Carles Puigdemont will address the Catalan Parliament on 10th October to discuss the result of the referendum that was held last week

People on a rooftop wave Spanish flags during a march in downtown Barcelona to protest the Catalan government's push for secession

The pro-unity rally marched through the centre of Barcelona in response to last weekend's disputed referendum

Last night, desperate Catalan authorities banned protesters from carrying fascist symbols in a barely-concealed warning to radical Spanish nationalists that aggression would not be tolerated.

In a provocative move, protesters planned to meet before the march at the headquarters of the Guardia Civil, the national police, to show their support for officers who were on Sunday accused of unprecedented brutality against Catalans.

Police in riot gear and armoured cars were deployed to Barcelona in large numbers to maintain order, many of whom are understood to have been ferried in from Madrid.

There were also unconfirmed rumours that special forces have been sent to secure sites such as airports in case the crisis escalates next week.

Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has vowed to keep 4,000 extra police in Catalonia until the crisis ended.

Unionist media in Spain have maintained that riot police were the victims of a sophisticated disinformation and fake news campaign by the pro-independence camp.

The slogan of the demonstrations, 'seny' - meaning 'sanity' - represented a demand for a return to the traditional Catalan qualities of passion tempered by common sense.

Catalonia's importance Losing Catalonia is almost unthinkable for the Spanish government. It would deprive Spain of about 16 percent of its people, a fifth of its economic output and more than a quarter of its exports. There is widespread opposition to a Catalan breakaway among people in the rest of the country. The political stand-off has pushed banks and companies to move their headquarters outside Catalonia. The board of Catalonia-based infrastructure firm Abertis will meet on Monday to discuss moving its head office elsewhere in Spain, a source familiar with the matter said. Concern is growing in EU capitals about the impact of the crisis on the Spanish economy, the fourth largest in the euro zone, and on possible spillovers to other economies. Some European officials are also worried that any softening in Spain's stance towards Catalan independence could fuel secessionist feelings among other groups in Europe such as Belgium's Flemings and Italy's Lombards. Until this weekend, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has remained vague on whether he would take the unprecedented step of triggering Article 155 of the constitution, the so-called nuclear option which enables him to sack the regional government and call a local election. However, asked if he was ready to do so, Rajoy told El Pais newspaper on Saturday: "I don't rule out anything that is within the law ... Ideally, we shouldn't have to take drastic solutions but for that not to happen there would have to be changes." Advertisement

A woman with the Spanish flag painted on her face is pictured cheering at the demonstration in Barcelona

It followed a day of protests in 50 cities across Spain yesterday, during which anti-independence activists took to the streets of Madrid while pro-dialogue protestors, dressed in white, demonstrated outside Barcelona town hall

The independence stakes are high, since Spain is the fourth-biggest economy in the eurozone and Catalonia is a substantial source of the country's tax revenues

Police in riot gear and armoured cars were deployed to Barcelona in large numbers to maintain order, many of whom are understood to have been ferried in from Madrid

Dominating the streets of Catalonia's capital, Barcelona – which has been simmering with tension since the vote – demonstrators waved Spanish flags

They also chanted 'Viva España' and broke into coordinated waves of applause that echoed along the broad avenues of the city

It came as Mr Rajoy said he was considering suspending Catalan autonomy altogether in order to prevent a unilateral declaration of independence.

In a combative statement, the leader said: 'I don't rule out absolutely anything that is within the law.'

Former prime minister Felipe González added oil to the flames by saying that he would have clamped down on Catalan autonomy already.

A number of Franco-era Spanish flags, which feature a black bird motif behind the familiar Spanish coat of arms, were seen yesterday at the march in Madrid. It is legal to own the flag in Spain but not to use it to stir up unrest.

Madrid maintains that last week's referendum was illegal, and holds constitutional powers to remove Catalan autonomy under legislation known as 'Article 155'.

Many demonstrators have urged the government to implement the move without delay.

Mario Vargas Llosa, the renowned Peruvian writer, was due to give a speech to the crowd today.

Police in riot gear and armoured cars were deployed to Barcelona in large numbers to maintain order, many of whom are understood to have been ferried in from Madrid

There were also unconfirmed rumours that special forces have been sent to secure sites such as airports in case the crisis escalates next week

Former prime minister Felipe González added oil to the flames by saying that he would have clamped down on Catalan autonomy already

Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has vowed to keep 4,000 extra police in Catalonia until the crisis ended

Madrid maintains that last week's referendum was illegal, and holds constitutional powers to remove Catalan autonomy under legislation known as 'Article 155'

Mario Vargas Llosa, the renowned Spanish writer, was due to give a speech to the crowd today. He is not pictured

The wave of unrest followed Catalonia's controversial referendum last weekend which backed secession despite brutal police attempts to quash it

It followed a day of protests in 50 cities across Spain yesterday, during which anti-independence activists took to the streets of Madrid while pro-dialogue protestors, dressed in white, demonstrated outside Barcelona town hall.

The wave of unrest followed Catalonia's controversial referendum last weekend which backed secession despite brutal police attempts to quash it.

Police wielding batons tried to seize ballot boxes in scenes more reminiscent of Franco-era fascism than a modern European democracy.

Many fear that Sunday's brutality may be a foretaste of what is to come. Populist politicians in Catalonia are agitating for separation from Spain while a weak Madrid government and a cack-handed king make the situation worse.

On Friday, the Catalan government revealed final results of the banned referendum. There was a huge majority to secede, although fewer than half the eligible 5.3 million voters cast ballots after opposition parties told their supporters to stay at home.

Surveys show support for independence doubled after the financial crisis in 2008 that struck Spain hard, but there was never a majority in favour

Catalonia pays billions more to Madrid than it gets back, provoking nationalist claims of 'robbery'

The scale of the crisis, Spain's most serious since a failed coup in 1981, has been brought home by banks and other firms already starting to move legal bases from Barcelona to ensure that they remain inside the European Union

Although Catalonia is one of the richest regions, with lower unemployment than most of Spain and thriving tourism, it still has more than one-third of young people without jobs

Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan leader, has said the result is binding. Now Europe waits anxiously to see if he will make a unilateral independence proclamation this week, sparking fears of spiralling confrontation – with the darkest historical echoes.

Puigdemont said in an interview to be broadcast on Catalan television later on Sunday that a law passed by the Catalan parliament preparing the way for the October 1 referendum calls for a declaration of independence in the event of a 'yes' vote.

'We will apply what the law says,' he said, according to advance excerpts of the interview released by TV3.

Puigdemont said he had not been in contact with the Madrid government for some time because Spain refused to discuss independence.

He added: 'What is happening in Catalonia is real, whether they like it or not. Millions of people have voted, who want to decide. We have to talk about this.'

The scale of the crisis, Spain's most serious since a failed coup in 1981, has been brought home by banks and other firms already starting to move legal bases from Barcelona to ensure that they remain inside the European Union.

The stakes are high, since Spain is the fourth-biggest economy in the eurozone and Catalonia is a substantial source of the country's tax revenues.

The violent police response, followed by King Felipe's fierce condemnation of attempts to break 'the unity of Spain' in which he ignored their actions, has only inflamed the long-running sore of Catalonian nationalism.

Surveys show support for independence doubled after the financial crisis in 2008 that struck Spain hard, but there was never a majority in favour.

Catalonia pays billions more to Madrid than it gets back, provoking nationalist claims of 'robbery.' Although one of the richest regions, with lower unemployment than most of Spain and thriving tourism, it still has more than one-third of young people without jobs. Many Catalans believe they are being restrained by a backward nation.

It is impossible to ignore ghosts from the past in a region that was the home of the defeated revolutionary forces in the 1930s civil war that led to a fascist dictatorship under General Franco, which only ended on his death in 1975.

Several people on the streets quoted an infamous refrain by a 19th Century Spanish general – 'You have to bomb Barcelona at least once every 50 years' – while a popular television comedy show made jokes about a sleeping Franco returning to the fray.

Ramon Tremosa, an economist and Catalan MEP, joked drily that 'at least they are only beating us, not shooting us.'