sant pere de torello spain spanish police wield batons fire rubber bullets crowd attempt vote catalonia ban independence referendum sunday region police force give many voters much gentle reception catalonia pro-independence heartland among farm towns osona county north barcelona catalan force make little attempt remove people poll station despite task court order shut local court receive several complaints sunday catalan police accuse inactivity fail close poll station despite court order region high court say statement sant pere osona capital vic crowd wait orderly queue cast ballot school halls though mood jittery photos bloody voters circulate via social media cities barcelona girona 840 people injure sunday police crackdown catalan officials say spain prime minister mariano rajoy however praise police carry duties uphold law sant pere children run along street play tag young people pass around barbecue kebabs flagons red wine pensioners retirement home nearby sit windows wave catalan flag win today never able opportunity ramon jordana 92-year-old former taxi driver say drop vote ballot box organizers smuggle town dead night poll station sant pere town 2,500 people close pyrenees symbolically declare independence spain 2012 voters arrive sunrise jordana cast first vote a.m. officer catalonia regional police mossos esquadra try enter sant pere vic poll station vote begin crowd cluster around entrance stop withdraw applause cheer use force enter stay outside day case point one officer sant pere tell reuters afterwards ask identify two officer sant pere chat casually locals outside poll station one pose child photo second attempt enter vote center crowd resist retreat around street corner osona overwhelmingly separatist-controlled municipalities opinion poll show support independence top 80 percent average around double overall support among catalonia 7.5 million population referendum declare illegal rajoy central government madrid say constitution state country indivisible dispatch police across catalonia seize ballot box prevent people vote however national police mossos take different approach despite spain state prosecutor tell mossos recently put single chain command report directly interior ministry madrid mossos hold great affection catalans especially hunt islamists accuse stag coordinate attack barcelona august kill 16 people contrast civil guard national police brand rajoy thugs twitter sunday national police unions say officer carry impeccable intervention preserve constitution call mossos inaction scandalous national police disappoint indignant ... mossos presence insufficient deliberately weak embarrassingly neutral unions say statement sant pere vote get underway town mayor jordi fabrega ask crowd 200 people guard booth entrance day resist peacefully attempt police enter moment leave unguarded come fabrega say first count sant pere vote show 80 percent turnout 97 percent voters support independence high turnout key legitimize yes vote catalan government say would lead declaration independence regional parliament within 48 hours locals block streets vans construction truck word spread national police draft catalonia thousands en route raid poll station police really want get ballot box get say one sant pere voter 66-year-old carles decline give surname worry spanish government would come end national police turn organizers say easy task get point joan vaque casas sant pere head coordinator say receive text message a.m. meet secret location pick ballot box vote paper batons barbecue catalan vote expose police divisions