CATALAN president Carles Puigdemont has announced he will set up a commission to investigate Sunday’s violence by Spanish police and intends to take legal action against them.

Puigdemont also appealed for international mediation to help solve the growing crisis that has developed in the aftermath of the shocking scenes that took place during voting in the independence referendum.

However, amid a huge outcry over the Spanish police officers’ attacks on voters, the European Commission yesterday announced its support for Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy.

In a statement, the commission described the situation as “an internal matter” for Spain that has to be dealt with in line with the constitutional order.

“We trust the leadership of prime minister Mariano Rajoy to manage this difficult process,” it said, urging all those involved to move from confrontation to dialogue.

Madrid has warned it could suspend autonomy of the wealthy north-eastern region.

At a news conference yesterday, Puigdemont said he supported a new understanding with the central government in Madrid and insisted he did not want a “traumatic” split with Spain.

Spain’s top court had banned Sunday’s vote and almost 900 people were hurt in the violent crackdown by Spanish police trying to stop it going ahead. Officers from the national police and paramilitary Civil Guard seized ballot boxes and were caught on camera injuring voters with batons. Spanish police were filmed kicking would-be voters and pulling women out of polling stations by their hair.

Officials said 893 people had been hurt in clashes, including 33 police officers.

In Girona, riot police smashed their way into a polling station where Puigdemont was due to vote, and forcibly removed those inside. The Catalan president voted at another station.

Those who took part in the vote overwhelmingly backed independence. More than 2.2 million of 5.3 million registered voters cast their ballots, according to Catalan authorities. Turnout was put at 42.3 per cent.

Just under 90 per centof those who voted backed independence. More than 750,000 votes could not be counted because polling stations were closed and ballot boxes confiscated.

More than 40 trade unions and Catalan associations called a strike today due to “the grave violation of rights and freedoms”.

Puigdemont said Catalonia had won the right to statehood and the door was now open to a unilateral declaration of independence.

He said he had had no contact with the government in Madrid but added: “We don’t want a traumatic break ... we want a new understanding with the Spanish state.”

Rajoy claimed Catalans had been fooled into taking part in the illegal vote. He said on Sunday night: “At this hour I can tell you in the strongest terms what you already know and what we have seen throughout this day. There has not been a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia.”

Rajoy is expected to hold urgent talks with Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the main opposition socialist party, and Albert Rivera, head of the centrist Ciudadanos party.

Spain’s justice minister warned that any declaration of independence could lead to Article 155 of the country’s constitution being invoked, which allows the national government to intervene in the running of an autonomous region.

Rafael Catala said: “We are not here to divide Spaniards ... but if someone tries to declare independence on behalf of a part of Spain’s territory, that cannot be done because it is beyond their powers.”