Madrid witnessed a large-scale demonstration on Saturday, as tens of thousands of individuals converged to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez amidst a string of corruption allegations. The protests resulted in at least seven police officers sustaining injuries during confrontations with some participants, officials reported.
While the majority of the ‘March for Dignity’ remained orderly, a small faction of protesters attempted to breach security barriers surrounding Sanchez’s private residence. Spanish television broadcasts showed police apprehending a group of masked individuals on the main thoroughfare leading to Moncloa Palace, where the Socialist leader resides with his family. Authorities confirmed three arrests.
Demonstrators displayed banners emblazoned with messages such as “Resignation of the socialist mafia” and other critical slogans, alongside a multitude of gold and red national flags. The event was organized by the Spanish Civil Society association and saw participation from leaders of both the opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party.
The leftist government recently faced another significant challenge when a Spanish court announced on Tuesday an investigation into former Spanish Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. He is accused of orchestrating an influence-peddling and money-laundering scheme. Zapatero, a close confidant of the current prime minister, has vehemently denied any involvement in wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Sanchez had briefly contemplated stepping down in April 2024 following a judge’s initiation of an inquiry into his wife, Begoña Gomez. Sanchez has consistently defended his family publicly, asserting that these legal actions are politically motivated and instigated by his far-right adversaries. Ms. Gomez refutes all allegations, and a Spanish prosecutor recently requested the investigating judge to dismiss the case, which originated from far-right organizations.
Organizers estimated the protest attendance at 80,000, while the Spanish government representative in Madrid provided a lower figure of approximately 40,000 participants.
