Catalan officials said that more than almost 900 people had been injured on Sunday after police tried to forcibly disrupt a referendum on independence.
The referendum, which has been ruled illegal by the central government in Madrid, has plunged Spain into its worst political crisis in decades.
The vote has also reignited tensions between Madrid and Barcelona, whose leaders have long been at daggers drawn over Catalonia’s centuries-old desire for independence from Spain.
“The images are extremely shocking,” Mr Bayrou told the radio station Europe 1 shortly after images of Spanish riot police using rubber bullets and batons to prevent people from reaching polling stations and of bloodied voters were circulated online.
“The situation in Catalonia is extremely preoccupying. It’s a situation which risks leaving Spain deeply divided,” Mr Bayrou continued, adding that the use of force to quell uprisings “rarely” discouraged protesters.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy, for his part, praised the police for cracking down on ‘illegal’ voters and upholding the law.
“Resorting to force to prevent people from voting is never the solution,” the centrist added, before calling on the EU to step in and prevent the region from descending further into chaos.
“The EU needs to offer Spain its support, and do everything within its power to stop the independence vote from dividing Spain, while recognising that the people of Catalonia have the right to be respected, listened to and recognised,” he said, before warning that the independence vote could set off a “domino effect” across the bloc.
“Nationalist sentiment is on the rise across Europe,” he said.
The EU Commission urged Spain to talk to Catalan separatists later on Monday, condemning the violence and calling on Madrid to respect citizens’ basic rights.
“We call on all relevant players to now move very swiftly from confrontation to dialogue. Violence can never be an instrument in politics,” the Commission said in a statement read out by chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas.