Esteban Duarte Maria Tadeo Bloomberg

Catalonia is headed for a dramatic confrontation with Spain after the insurgent region's parliament voted to declare independence and the government in Madrid gained the power to oust its separatist leadership.

Catalan separatist leaders signaled they may be moving toward a unilateral declaration of independence as early as this week after hundreds of activists were injured on Sunday as they sought to stop Spanish police from shutting down an illegal referendum.

Catalonia is headed for a dramatic confrontation with Spain after the insurgent region's parliament voted to declare independence and the government in Madrid gained the power to oust its separatist leadership.

Catalan separatist leaders signaled they may be moving toward a unilateral declaration of independence as early as this week after hundreds of activists were injured on Sunday as they sought to stop Spanish police from shutting down an illegal referendum.