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'There was no independence referendum in Catalonia today' – Spain PM | |
(35 minutes later) | |
After polling stations closed in Sunday's controversial Catalonia independence referendum, Spain's Prime Minister announced that "no referendum" took place in the country. | |
"No referendum has been held in Catalonia today," PM Mariano Rajoy declared at a news conference Sunday evening. | |
Claiming that the majority of people in Catalonia did not want to participate in the independence poll, he said those citizens had obeyed the law. | |
He also defended the actions of Spanish law enforcement officers, saying police "performed their duty" in Catalonia. | |
Catalan authorities earlier announced that more than 760 people were injured in the police crackdown on voters in the poll deemed illegal by Madrid. | |
Rajoy said the voting has damaged the "coexistence" of people in the country and has "only served to sow division." | |
In Barcelona, Rajoy's speech was broadcast on a big screen in one of the city squares, with people reacting with apparent anger to the PM's statements. | |
Earlier in the day, Barcelona's mayor Ada Colau called on the Spanish PM to resign. | |
Speaking on local TV, she accused Rajoy of being a "coward," adding that the prime minister had "crossed all the red lines with the police actions against normal people, old people, families who were defending their fundamental rights." |