BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11 Spanish police officers were slightly injured on Sunday in clashes with protesters as the banned Catalan independence referendum gets under way.
"For now in total, 9 police officers and two Civil Guard officers have been injured when they carried out the order of the judges" to stop the independence poll, Spain's interior ministry said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, at least 38 voters and supporters have been injured in Barcelona as Spanish police charged protesters and fired rubber bullets at voters in front of polling stations.
The emergency service said they had attended to 38 people, but none of them are seriously wounded.
Nine of them were hospitalized, while most of the others were treated for "bruises, dizziness and panic attacks", according to the Health Department of the Catalan regional government.
Spanish central government's representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, claimed that the actions of the National Police and Civil Guard during the independence referendum in Catalonia were professional and proportionate.
"The National Police and Civil Guard are implementing the decisions of the Catalan Supreme Court. Police officers are acting professionally and proportionately in each case," Millo told reporters.
Spanish interior minister Juan Ignacio Zoido slammed Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, saying that he should be solely responsible for what happened and what might happen.
While Puigdemont accused Spanish authorities of using "unjustified, disproportionate and irresponsible" violence in attempt to end the illegal Catalan independence referendum.
