Around 55,000 pro-independence marchers took to the streets of the Catalan capital to show their support for the 55-year-old and to protest his arrest. A separate protest was held in Girona, where Puigdemont served as mayor.
The situation in Barcelona escalated in the evening as protesters fought running battles with riot police. Local authorities reported dozens of injuries and many arrests.
In videos posted on a Spanish news website, police used their batons and appeared to fire warning shots.