REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BARCELONA/MADRID -- The Spanish government moved to impose direct rule over Catalonia on Friday, stripping the region of its autonomy less than an hour after its parliament declared independence in a stunning show of defiance.

Although the Catalan declaration appears to be a doomed gesture, both sides' moves take Spain's worst political crisis in four decades to a new and possibly dangerous level.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for calm and said the rule of law would be restored in Catalonia, where secessionists have long cherished the dream of a separate nation.

A crowd of more than 2,000 independence supporters gathered in the Ciutadella Park outside the regional parliament in Barcelona, shouting "Liberty" in Catalan and singing traditional songs as the independence vote went through.