This year’s Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) bike race could not be completed, after some 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the last 50 km of the race’s route in Madrid and forced organizers to terminate the event on Sept. 14. Protesters said that in light of their country’s genocide against the Palestinians, Israelis should not have been allowed to participate.
This was not the only protest during the race. On seven of the last eleven days of the contest, events were cut short or interrupted by hundreds of people protesting the participation of the Israeli team.
While 1,000 police were deployed to try to maintain order in Madrid, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez supported the protesters. “Today marks the end of the Vuelta. Our respect and recognition for the athletes and our admiration for the Spanish people who are mobilizing for just causes like Palestine. Spain today shines as an example and as a source of pride … taking a step forward in the defense of human rights,” he said. “I think that debate that’s begun after what happened here in Madrid yesterday should widen and spread to all corners of the world. It’s already happening in some parts of the world and we’ve seen how European governments are saying that as long as the barbarism continues, Israel can’t use any international platform to whitewash its presence. And I think that sports organizations need to ask themselves whether it’s ethical for Israel to keep taking part in international competitions.”
The annual political survey carried out by Spain’s Elcano Royal Institute reported early this past July that a full 82% of the Spaniards polled described what Israel is doing in Gaza as “genocide,” and 78% believed the EU should recognize a Palestinian state. Note well: Elcano’s pollsters also reported that antisemitism had not increased, showing that Spaniards “distinguish what is happening in Gaza from the Jewish people.”
On Sept. 15, Prime Minister Sánchez spoke out again: “I think that sports associations should consider if it is ethical for Israel to continue participating in international competitions. Why was Russia expelled after the invasion of Ukraine and not Israel after the invasion of Gaza?”
