The final stage of the Vuelta a Espana was suspended on Sunday after several large pro-Palestinian protests disrupted the premier cycling event in the Spanish capital Madrid, according to organizers.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the final distance of the race route on Paseo del Prado in the center of the city, after a group of demonstrators pushed over crowd barriers that had lined the road.
The disruption started around 6 p.m. local time on Sunday after the demonstrators gathered to protest against the Israel-Premier Tech team’s participation in the competition.
As witnessed by CNN, officers from Spain’s National Police attempted to disperse the crowds occupying the final mile of the race route that led up to the finish line but were unsuccessful.
Police deployed tear gas to try to clear people from the area, but several protesters clashed with police and formed barricades in the middle of the road, using the fences that had closed off the area as makeshift barriers.
At least 22 police officers were injured during the clashes, a spokesperson for Spain’s National Police told CNN. The Spanish Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martin Aguirre said two people have been arrested in connection with Sunday’s protests in the capital.
Organizers posted on social media late Sunday that the race had ended early for “security reasons,” and that there would be “no podium ceremony. “SeveralSeveral previous stages of the race held before Sunday had been shortened or changed because of similar protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.Israel-Premier Tech expressed its regret following the event, which resulted in the cancellation of the race’s finale and traditional podium ceremony.
“Unfortunately, these aspects continued in Madrid this afternoon, as protestors took to the finishing circuit around the Spanish capital. After the stage was neutralized multiple times, the number of protestors blocking the route and damage caused to the race’s infrastructure resulted in the cancellation of the race’s finale and traditional podium ceremony,” Israel – Premier Tech said in a statement on Sunday.
The team’s director, Daryl Impey, praised the riders for the way they handled the situation. “There is no doubt that this was a difficult race for us, with everything we have been dealing with out on the road,” Impey said in the statement.
Sunday’s clashes came hours after Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he applauded the pro-Palestinian protesters who had disrupted the race.
“Today marks the end of the Vuelta,” Sanchez told a Socialist party rally in the southern city of Malaga on Sunday. “Our respect and recognition for the athletes and our admiration for the Spanish people who are mobilizing for just causes like Palestine.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar late on Sunday called Sanchez and his government “a disgrace” to their country, accusing him of “encouraging the protesters to take to the streets” of Madrid through “his incitements,” in a post on X.
The Vuelta competition is Spain’s top annual multi-stage professional road cycling race, composed of 21 stages that are completed in three weeks of competition.
