Spain’s political class clashed over chaotic pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid that brought the Vuelta to a premature end on Sunday, with the opposition accusing the leftist government of permitting an “international embarrassment.”
Comments from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez brought an angry response from Israel.
Demonstrators denouncing the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team in one of cycling’s major races overwhelmed police and invaded the course in the Spanish capital, forcing organizers to cut short the final stage.
Photo: Reuters
A spokesman for the central government representation in the Madrid region said that 100,000 people had taken part in the pro-Palestinian protests, adding that two people had been arrested.
The unrest was the culmination of pro-Palestinian activism against Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, with protests disrupting the three-week race on several occasions. Even before the final day, the race organizers had had to shorten some stages and demonstrators had caused crashes after bursting onto the course.
Several members of the leftist Spanish government have publicly supported the movement in a country where support for the Palestinian cause is strong.
Sanchez made his first public comments on the row on Sunday, saying before the final stage that “Spain today shines as an example and as a source of pride.”
The country was “an example to an international community where it sees Spain taking a step forward in the defense of human rights,” he told a Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party gathering in the southern city of Malaga.
Israel was swift to denounce his comments.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar called Sanchez and his government “a disgrace” to their country, accusing the Spanish prime minister of “encouraging the protesters to take to the streets” of Madrid through “his incitements.”
The right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP), which runs the Madrid region and the Spanish capital’s council, also reacted furiously.
PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo’s response on social media was scathing after the prestigious cycling event ended with police charging at protesters and firing tear gas.
“The government has allowed and induced the non-completion of the Vuelta and, in this way, an international embarrassment televised worldwide,” he said.
The PP head of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, wrote on X that Sanchez “becomes directly responsible for any altercation that happens... what damage to our sport and our country!”
“What has happened today in Madrid is the fruit of hate and violence that have been irresponsibly encouraged in recent days by leaders from the left,” Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said.
Far-left Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz hailed Spanish society for “giving a lesson to the world.”
“Israel cannot compete in any event while it continues to commit a genocide,” she wrote on Instagram, days after the Israeli government barred her from entry for her criticism of the war in Gaza.
Israel-Premier Tech, owned by Israeli-Canadian property developer Sylvan Adams, is a private outfit and not a state team, but was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for continuing to compete despite the vehement protests.
Nineteen wickets fell yesterday on an opening day of carnage in the first Ashes Test, with England’s attack led by skipper Ben Stokes bowling them into a position of strength after Australia dismissed the tourists for 172. A rampaging Mitchell Starc took 7-58 to put England on the back foot after Stokes won the toss on a fine day at a packed Perth Stadium and chose to bat. Harry Brook (52) and Ollie Pope (46) offered the only resistance as they crumbled after lunch, but England’s elite fast bowlers, led by an exceptional Stokes with 5-23, fought back to reduce the hosts
Paul Pogba on Saturday described his emotional Monaco debut as a moment of relief and gratitude, after the French midfielder returned to the pitch for the first time in more than two years following a doping ban. The former Juventus and Manchester United player, who joined the French Ligue 1 side on a free transfer in June, had not played a competitive match since September 2023. Pogba received a four-year ban in February last year after testing positive for banned substance DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after an appeal at the Court
Houston’s Calen Bullock on Thursday intercepted reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Josh Allen twice and the league’s top defensive unit powered the Texans over Buffalo 23-19. Allen was sacked eight times, his most in any game, for 70 lost yards and Bullock’s final pickoff killed the Bills’ last desperate drive with 18 seconds remaining. The Texans, who have allowed the NFL’s fewest points and fewest yards a game this season, shut down Allen, who produced six touchdowns in a victory over Tampa Bay just four days earlier. “The defense stayed disciplined,” Houston’s Danielle Hunter said. “We had a game plan to keep him
FINAL STRETCH: After the McLaren drivers’ disqualifications, Verstappen’s chances of a fifth successive title would depend on another big slip-up from Norris and his team Formula One world champion Max Verstappen on Saturday produced a masterful drive to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix and his title hopes were boosted further with the McLarens of championship leader Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri being disqualified. Norris finished the race in second with Piastri fourth, but the skid blocks on both cars were found after the race to be less than the minimum depth. The disqualifications mean that with two race weekends remaining, four-time defending champion Verstappen is level on points with Piastri in the title race, just 24 points behind Norris. However, Verstappen’s chances of a
RSS