HUNDREDS of thousands packed the streets of Barcelona yesterday in opposition to the regional government’s bid to secede from Spain.

Barcelona police said 350,000 people took part; march organisers Societat Civil Catalana said that 930,000 people turned out.

Slogans included “Catalonia is Spain” and “Let’s recover our common sense.” Demonstrators called for Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to be jailed.

The huge march dwarfed last Tuesday’s general strike in protest at the federal government’s violent police crackdown on Mr Puigdemont’s unauthorised October 1 independence referendum.

The autonomous region’s devolved government has vowed to declare independence based on the 2 million votes it received in favour. Spanish police were sent in to stop the vote, but there was still a 92 per cent Yes vote with a turnout of 43 per cent.

Mr Puigdemont will address the regional parliament tomorrow “to report on the current political situation.” The Constitutional Court had ordered a similar session today to be suspended.

On Saturday hundreds of thousands of protesters in white rallied in Madrid and Barcelona to urge dialogue between right-wing Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government and Catalan authorities.

But in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais published on Sunday, Mr Rajoy threatened to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish constitution and impose direct rule on Catalonia.

“The ideal situation would be that I don’t have to find drastic solutions, but for that to happen there will have to be some rectifications,” he said.

The Communist Party of Spain, while condemning the October 1 police violence, maintains its position of opposition to separatism in favour of re-establishing the republic overthrown by fascist dictator Francisco Franco in 1939.