Defiant Catalan citizens faced a standoff with the Spanish central government on Monday when Madrid courts unanimously suspended the planned independence referendum on November, calling it unconstitutional and illegal.

Long before Madrid slapped the movement with an indefinite suspension, the Spanish government had made very clear pronouncements on its stance against secession.

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Catalonia's President Artur Mas, backed by a growing number of independence supporters who have flooded the streets of Barcelona in recent weeks, signed a decree on Saturday declaring a non-binding vote on independence on November 9. Most of the town councils in the region have showed strong support for the declaration.

However, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appealed to Spain's highest court on Monday to call the secession vote illegal, making the case that under the 1979 constitution only Spaniards are allowed to decide on issues of sovereignty.

Rajoy also pointed out that the constitution attests to the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish state," the Irish Examiner quoted him as saying.

In a televised statement made after he called for an emergency cabinet meeting, Rajoy declared that no one would be allowed to break Spain apart.

The courts' acceptance of Rajoy's 100-page appeal has effectively made any preparations for the independence referendum illegal until a definitive decision on Madrid's legal challenge is handed down, LA Times reported.

While Madrid's court held a special session on Monday night, Mas simultaneously presented a white paper in a news conference that lays out the blueprint for Catalonia's independence. He indicated that the planned referendum would go ahead.

Ahead of Monday's suspension, the Catalan president said in a televised interview that Spain cannot hide behind the constitution to silence the people's will.

The November vote will be helpful for both the Catalan and the Spanish governments to know Catalonia's stance on independence, the president said.

Recent polls have shown growing support for the Catalan independence referendum, but the overall support appears to be less than the majority, CNN reported.

TagsCatalonia, independence referendum, Spain, illegal, suspension