Analysis
Sánchez stands with civil society against Israel’s genocide
Sánchez fully sided with the protesters – although his own interior minister had deployed 2,500 police officers to suppress the demonstrations. Spain ‘the only one saving Europe’s honor.'
Spain has once again become a focal point for protests against the genocide in Palestine, this time with the explicit endorsement of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government. Following the disruption of the Vuelta a España cycling race on Sunday in Madrid, flooded by tens of thousands of protesters chanting “Boycott Israel” and “The winner of the Vuelta is Palestine,” the Spanish prime minister met with his socialist deputies on Monday. In the meeting, he championed the role of Spanish civil society as a global standard-bearer for protests against the atrocities being committed by the Israeli government.
Sánchez fully sided with the protesters – although his own interior minister had deployed 2,500 police officers to suppress the demonstrations, which ended with at least two arrests, numerous baton charges, and the liberal use of smoke bombs. “Sports organizations must evaluate whether it is ethical for Israel to continue participating in international competitions. Why was Russia expelled after the invasion of Ukraine, but not Israel after the invasion of Gaza?” he said, to applause from his party members. “The debate over what happened in Madrid should grow and reach every corner of the world,” he added.
“We, of course, always reject violence. We have deep admiration and respect for our athletes, for the cyclists of the Vuelta. That is why their safety was put before anything else on Sunday,” he stated. “But we also have immense respect and deep admiration for Spanish civil society, which mobilizes against injustice and peacefully defends its ideas.”
Recalling that Spain recognized the state of Palestine a year ago – and noting that other major countries like Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium are expected to do so at the next UN General Assembly – he concluded by referencing former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who said last week that Spain is “the only one saving Europe’s honor.”
Meanwhile, the Popular Party and Vox are lashing out at the government, accusing it of inciting violence and damaging Spain’s image abroad – specifically that of the capital, which has been a right-wing bastion for decades. The conservative president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, went so far as to have a photo-op with the Israeli cycling team, which is owned by a Zionist billionaire and personal friend of Benjamin Netanyahu who defends the Israeli army’s actions in Gaza. It was this team that the protesters were targeting on Sunday.
Thanks to public pressure, the issue is also high on the agenda at the top levels of the state television. On Tuesday, the president of Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) brought the question of the country’s participation in the next edition of Eurovision to the board of directors for discussion. Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland have already decided to boycott the 2026 edition of the music competition in Vienna if the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) allows Israel to participate, and now Spain needed to decide on the matter. Russia has been barred from participating since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This year, controversy arose over Israel-tied televoting patterns that surprisingly brought their contestant to the brink of victory. Spain is one of Eurovision’s “Big Five” (along with Germany, France, the U.K., and Italy), and the position it takes could influence other countries as well. Rumors were that about ten of the 15 politically-appointed board members were inclined to support a boycott. On Tuesday, the board of the RTVE voted in favor of withdrawing Spain from the 2026 edition of Eurovision if Israel participates, becoming the first country of the “Big Five” to do so.
Spain’s cultural world has also taken a side. At the Emmy Awards gala in Los Angeles, Javier Bardem wore a keffiyeh and spoke explicitly about the genocide in Palestine, telling reporters, "We cannot look away when a genocide is happening live on our screens." Meanwhile, at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, 300 artists, including renowned director Pedro Almodóvar, spent hours reading the names of the 18,500 Palestinian children killed by Israel.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/sanchez-con-la-societa-civile-nello-sport-per-israele-stessi-divieti-della-russia on 2025-09-16