The leader of the Spanish opposition party Ciudadanos on Sunday demanded Madrid impose direct rule in Catalonia after days of separatist protests, as he led a pro-Spain counter-demonstration in Barcelona.

Albert Rivera, the head of the centre-Right party, called on Spain’s Socialist Party government to end the “chaos”, suspend Catalonia's autonomy and remove its president, Quim Torra, from office.

“Torra must be sacked. What are they waiting for when there is an article in the Constitution that allows for this?” Mr Rivera said to a crowd of some 2,000 people.

He was referring to Article 155, which allows for Madrid to intervene in autonomous communities deemed to be acting unconstitutionally or against Spain's interests. It was first enacted in Catalonia to remove the government of Carles Puigdemont after the banned independence referendum of October 2017.

Friday and Saturday saw hundreds of thousands of pro-independence protesters take to the streets to oppose lengthy prison sentences given to organisers of that referendum.