A demonstrators hold a flare during protest after a verdict in a trial over a banned Catalonia's independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, October 16, 2019. Photo: VCG

 
Ahead of next month's general election, Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faced criticism on Sunday for his handling of violent Catalan separatist protests, even as calm returned to Barcelona and other cities overnight.

The center-right Ciudadanos party, which was born out of opposition to Catalan separatism, held a rally in front of Catalonia's regional government headquarters in Barcelona under the slogan: "That's enough! Justice and coexistence."

"We have had enough of seeing how radicals roam freely and scare millions of Spaniards on their land. The streets belong to everyone," Ciudadanos leader Alberto Rivera tweeted before the rally began.

He has called on Sanchez to suspend Catalonia's autonomy just as the central government did in 2017 after the Catalan parliament declared independence following a banned secession referendum.

The streets of Barcelona and other Catalan cities have been rocked by protests since Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine separatist leaders, many of them former regional government ministers, last week to jail terms of up to 13 years for sedition over the failed 2017 independence bid.

Nearly 600 people have been injured in clashes with police since the protests started. 

A police officer was in "very serious condition" and a demonstrator was in "critical condition" according to Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.

A poll published in July by a public Catalan institute showed support for an independent Catalonia at its lowest level in two years, with 48.3 percent of people against and 44 percent in favor.