Thousands rally against Spain’s central govt. in Madrid
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the Spanish capital, Madrid, in a public display of discontent with the leftist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, calling on him to resign.
Virtually 30,000 people gathered in at Cibeles Square on Saturday, according to the central government's delegation in Madrid. Organizers, however, said some 700,000 people had taken part in the demonstration, which is being held in the year of key elections.
Some protesters held up signs with a photo of the Socialist prime minister, calling him a ‘traitor.’
The event was called by dozens of right-leaning civil society groups and backed by Conservative parties, including the main opposition Popular Party (PP) and Vox.
Speaking to reporters at the start of the event, Vox leader Santiago Abascal denounced the “worst government in history,” which “has divided Spaniards and freed rapists and coup leaders.”
The right is angered by the government's decision to abolish the crime of sedition, of which nine separatist leaders were convicted over their role in the Catalonia region's abortive secession bid in 2017. It was replaced with an offence carrying a lower prison sentence.
Vox entered a regional government in 2022 for the first time since it was founded in 2013, when it became the junior partner in a coalition with the PP in Castilla y Leon. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who has tried to push the party to the center since becoming its leader in April 2022, was not at the rally but encouraged members to attend.
Most polls suggest the PP would win general elections expected at the end of the year but would need the support of Vox to govern. Before that, Spain will vote in May in regional and local elections.
Sanchez used his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday to warn of the threat posed by the far-right, in what was seen as a reference to Leon. “We have to prevent these political forces from reaching the institutions… because the threat is very real, especially in those countries where far-right forces have the support of mainstream conservative parties.”
Sanchez said, “We will fight them with the same determination and conviction that the Ukrainians are fighting Russian forces.”
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