Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has visited Catalonia for the first time since the region held an informal referendum in which voters favoured separating from Spain.<br /><br />Speaking at a rally held by his Popular Party in Barcelona, Rajoy was on the offensive against the region’s president Artur Mas.<br /><br />“If what he wanted was to create tension, divide the society, go above the law, we need to recognise that those objectives were reached. If what he wanted was to show a pro-independence Catalonia he failed,” Rajoy declared.<br /><br />Catalonia held the unofficial poll on November 9 after plans to stage a proper referendum were suspended when the Spanish government challenged its legality in court.
