Tens of thousands of people gathered in Madrid today, following an appeal from right-wing parties, demanding the resignation of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and calling for early parliamentary elections.
Around 25,000 people participated in this demonstration, according to central government agencies in the region, while organizers say there were 400,000 protesters.
Holding Spanish flags, participants gathered in Plaza Castela, calling for the resignation of Sánchez, whom they called a “traitor”.
More than a hundred factions called for this mobilization, with the support of the main opposition party, the Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox, with the motto “For unity, dignity, law and freedom. Parliamentary elections now!”
The speakers denounced a series of decisions taken by the government, such as the amnesty granted to the protagonists of the attempted secession of Catalonia in exchange for the support of pro-autonomy Catalan parties in the Madrid parliament, the agreements made with separatist and Basque parties, but also the investigations into corruption and undue influence against Socialist Party officials and Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomet.
Protesters held signs with slogans such as “Sanchez destroyed Spain” as well as anti-immigration slogans.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal, the only head of a party to participate in the demonstration, told journalists that “this government is destroying the Spanish people, it betrayed them, it lied to them in the elections”.
“Today the Spanish, regardless of what the government says, are poorer than when Pedro Sánchez came to power. It’s harder for them to survive,” continued the far-right politician, also accusing Sanchez’s government of “bringing more irregular immigration.”
Source: AMPE