The 46-year-old said Spain’s Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, had “taken over” the Catalan government “by force” when he announced Madrid would impose direct rule over the breakaway.
And he questioned the mandate of Mr Rajoy’s People’s Party to assume power in Catalonia considering it won just a fraction of the vote in the region’s most recent elections in 2015.
Mr Assange tweeted this afternoon: “Spain’s PM has responded to Catalonia’s calls for dialog with a plan (announced today, minimising press coverage) to remove its president and cabinet and to take over its institutions by force, effectively granting control of Catalonia to a party with just 8 per cent of the vote.”
Mr Assange had earlier tweeted a link to Catalan News with an article claiming a total of 1,066 voters had been injured in the independence referendum.
Article 155 of the Spanish constitution gives Madrid the power to use “all measures necessary to compel” a region to abide by the law.
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Mr Rajoy’s government has always maintained the controversial independence referendum on October 1 was illegal, a view supported by the country’s top court.
But Catalan officials opted to hold the ballot regardless, and reported 90 per cent of the 43 per cent of people who voted backed secession.
The day was marred by violence as heavily armed Spanish national police clashed with people trying to cast their vote.
Catalan leaders have previously called for talks to negotiate a smooth transition into independence for the region.
But their pleas, both to Madrid and the European Union, fell on deaf ears.
The Spanish government said it would consider greater autonomy for the wealthy region but ruled out secession, whereas the EU said the crisis was “an internal matter for Spain”.
An estimated 450,000 pro-independence supporters are on the streets of Barcelona protesting the Spanish government’s decision.
The central government has also taken control of the Catalan broadcast company TV3, equivalent to the BBC in Britain.
Mr Assange has previously expressed his support for Catalonian independence, despite a warning by Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno to keep his views to himself.
The Australian hacker has been sheltering in the Ecuador’s London embassy for more than five years.
He is wanted by the United States for exposing state secrets through the WikiLeaks site, and fears he will be arrested and extradited if he leaves the building in Knightsbridge.