Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy joined senior figures from the Catalan Popular Party at a pre-campaign rally in Barcelona on Sunday, ahead of Spain’s regional elections on 21 December.
Rajoy addressed the “silent majority” of Spanish nationalists in Catalonia, “We want everyone’s Catalonia to return to normal. We can get that if the silent majority converts its voice into votes. That silent majority, or silenced majority, has taken to the streets in the last few weeks.”
This was Rajoy’s first visit to Catalonia since his government brought the region under direct rule. The decision was taken after the Catalan parliament made a unilateral declaration of independence based on the results of a disputed referendum on October 1.