Thousands take to the streets of Madrid to demand the resignation of the Spanish Prime Minister

A massive protest has taken place in the capital Madrid to protest a series of corruption scandals against the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and to demand his resignation. Thousands of people took part in the demonstration, known as the ‘March for Dignity’, on Saturday (May 23). Although the rally was largely peaceful, clashes broke out between protesters and police in some places, injuring at least seven police officers.
The mass demonstration, organized by the Spanish Civil Society Association, was also attended by top leaders of the country’s main opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party. The protesters displayed the Spanish national flag as well as banners and festoons with various anti-government slogans, including the resignation of the socialist mafia.
At one point, a group of protesters tried to break through the security fence around the Moncloa Palace, the official residence of Prime Minister Sanchez. Footage broadcast on Spanish television showed a group of masked men blocking the main road leading to the prime minister’s residence. Police arrested three people at the scene for causing chaos.
The pressure on Sanchez’s government has intensified in recent times over corruption allegations. On Tuesday (May 19), a Spanish court announced an investigation into former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero on charges of influence peddling and running a money laundering network. Zapatero, known as a close ally of the current prime minister, has denied all the charges against him.
Earlier, in April 2024, Pedro Sanchez temporarily considered resigning when a corruption investigation was opened against his wife, Begona Gomez. However, Sanchez and his wife have denied all the charges from the beginning. The prime minister claims that far-right political opponents are conspiring to humiliate his family for political reasons. Last month, a Spanish public prosecutor also asked the investigating judge to close the case filed by right-wing parties. There are two versions of how many people gathered at Saturday’s massive rally. Organizers of the movement claimed that about 80,000 people took part in the demonstration. On the other hand, a representative of the Spanish government in Madrid said that the number of protesters was about 40,000.

Source: Reuters.