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SPAIN’S prime minister Pedro Sanchez has doubled down on his support for the thousands of pro-Palestine protesters who forced the cancellation of the final stage of the Vuelta a España – Spain’s equivalent of the Tour de France.
Sanchez, speaking the day following the abandonment of the Vuelta’s grand finale midway after an estimated 100 000 people invaded Madrid and blocked the finishing line, demanded that Israel be banned from all future sporting events. He was unaffected by criticisms from his political rivals.
Prior to Sunday’s stage, Sanchez told a crowd in Malaga of his ‘absolute respect and admiration…for the Spanish people who mobilise for just causes such as Palestine,’ after demonstrators disrupted multiple stages of the three week-long race over the participation of Israel Premier-Tech, a team owned by an Israeli-Canadian billionaire businessman with links to Binyamin Netanyahu.
Vox (a far-right group) and Spain’s conservative Partido Popular, which is opposed to Sanchez, seized upon the comments and accused him of sowing disorder. This led race organisers and police officers to be injured and for the 104km last leg of the race to be shortened.
Sanchez, in his Monday speech, was unrepentant about his criticism of Israel. He called on the governing bodies in international sport to expel Israel for its ongoing military offensive against Gaza.
“I think the debate that started after what happened yesterday in Madrid should be widened and spread to every corner of the globe,” he said.
READ MORE ‘A disgrace to Spain’: Pedro Sanchez under fire for praising pro-Palestine protesters who halted Vuelta a España finale and injured 22 police
“It has already happened in certain parts around the world, and we’ve heard how European governments have said that Israel can’t use international platforms to whitewash its existence as long the barbarism persists.
“I think sports organizations need to consider whether it is ethical for Israel to continue competing in international competitions.”
Sanchez stated on Sunday: “Today, the Vuelta is over and we are showing our respect and recognition to the athletes.
“But also, our admiration of the Spanish people that mobilises for just causes like Palestine. Spain shines today as an example, and is a great source of pride. By taking an important step to defend human rights, Spain is setting an example for the rest of the world.
Sanchez’s praise of the protesters was criticised by Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, leader of the PP, who said the prime minister and socialist leader was ‘proud of the behaviour of those few people who showed their support for Gaza by throwing barriers at Policia Nacional officers’.
“I defend the freedom of speech, so long as it does not involve violence or unrest.” “The government allowed and instigated the non-completion, which resulted in an international embarrassment televised throughout the world,” said he.
Other politicians from the PP – Spain’s equivalent of the UK’s Conservative Party – say Sanchez is using the Palestinian cause to deflect attention from cases of alleged corruption that have clouded his inner circle, including his wife, brother and former right-hand man.
Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the combative PP mayor of Madrid, said the protests gave Spain’s capital an image of ‘a Sarajevo at war’ and of ‘a city where Jews are persecuted’.
READ MORE: Chaos in Madrid as rampaging pro-Palestine protesters injure 22 police and force cancellation of final day of Vuelta a España race
“When the prime minister of the nation encourages a boycott of the Vuelta a España in his own capital, he becomes directly responsible for every incident that occurs, whether the race is stopped or whether there is a single assault,” she said on X.
In response, social rights minister Pablo Bustinduy said the PP ‘cares more about a few fences’ than ‘tens of thousands of people killed’ in Gaza.
Sanchez’s comments were also criticised by Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, who took to social media to label Sanchez and his government ‘Communists’ and ‘a disgrace to Spain’.
Last week, Israel’s government banned Yolanda and Sira Diaz from entering Israel for criticizing its Gaza policy.
Sanchez announced the move after announcing a number of measures aimed at increasing pressure on Netanyahu’s Government over military activities in Gaza. These included an arms embargo.
“Spain does not have any nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers or large oil reserves, as you well know. We can’t stop Israel alone. We will not stop trying, but we can’t. Sanchez explained that “there are causes worth fighting, even if they’re not within our power to win.”
The remarks were heavily criticised by the Israeli government, with Netanyahu denouncing Sanchez’s reference to nuclear bombs as ‘irresponsible and inflammatory’ and a ‘blatant genocidal threat’ against Israel.
In other developments, Spain has pulled the plug on a contract worth nearly €700 million for rocket launchers designed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli firm.
According to the Military Balance assessment by the International Institute for Strategic Studies of global military capability, the contract awarded to a Spanish consortium in October 2023 was for the purchase of twelve SILAM rocket-launcher systems.
The move comes after Sanchez announced a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel as part of his package of measures designed to stop what his government had called ‘the genocide in Gaza’.
READ MORE Spain threatens to boycott Eurovision Song Contest in 2019 if Israel takes part
Elsewhere, Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE has voted to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Content unless the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – the producers and organisers of the immensely popular annual song competition – expel Israel.
The possibility of next year’s contest going ahead without Spain was first mooted by culture minister Ernest Urtasun last week – and now RTVE’s board have opted by ten votes to four to join the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and Ireland in pledging to boycott the competition unless action to remove Israel is taken.
Spain is the first ‘Big Five’ country to threaten a boycott – the name given to Spain, Britain, Germany, France and Italy, the five nations who provide the majority of funding and enjoy automatic qualification to the contest’s grand final every year.
Last year, prime minister Pedro Sanchez accused the EBU of perpetuating a ‘double standard’ by allowing Israel to compete.
Sanchez compared it to 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine, when Russia was booted from the song contest.
“Nobody covered their ears when Russia invaded Ukraine three years earlier and asked them to leave international competitions as well as not participate in Eurovision. Sanchez added, “Israel shouldn’t either.”
He said: “Israel shouldn’t be allowed.” [to participate] We cannot tolerate double standards.”
Spain has led the opposition to Israel’s military activities in Gaza. This began after more than 1,200 Israelis had been killed by Hamas terrorists 7 October 2023.
Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported that at least 64,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip since the start of the conflict.
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