CBRN event in Spain on Sun 14th September 2025

The final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race was shut down on Sunday after thousands of anti-Israel protesters clashed with police and invaded the course where the race was due to pass in the center of Madrid.

Around 56 kilometers (35 miles) from the finish of the major cycling event, riders came to a halt before the Vuelta was abandoned.

The massive pro-Palestinian protest was the latest and perhaps largest to disrupt the Vuelta this month. At least six of the last 10 stages of the Grand Tour race were interrupted or shortened by anti-Israel demonstrators, with over 20 people detained by police. The protests have garnered support from Spain’s top officials, who have been harshly critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The Israeli team competing in the race, Israel-Premier Tech, has stayed in the event despite calls to drop out, and this weekend saw one of its riders take home an award.

On Sunday, ahead of the final stage, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the disruptions filled him with “pride.” In his first public comments on the demonstrations, Sanchez expressed his “recognition and full respect for the athletes, but also our admiration for a people like Spain’s, which mobilizes for just causes, like Palestine.” “Spain today shines as an example and as a source of pride, an example to an international community where it sees Spain taking a step forward in the defense of human rights,” he told a Socialist party gathering in Malaga, drawing criticism from Jerusalem.

Anticipating more disruptions, Spain deployed more than 1,500 police officers ahead of the final stage of the race in Madrid to keep the protesters at bay. But it wasn’t enough.

On Gran Via, where cyclists were due to pass multiple times, protesters knocked down barriers and marched into the road, some chanting for a boycott of Israel as green and red smoke filled the air. Near Atocha, Madrid’s central train station, police charged demonstrators and fired tear gas, before letting them walk into the road. Protesters could be heard chanting that Israel was guilty of “genocide.” Authorities later said that more than 100,000 people had taken part in the anti-Israel protest in Madrid.

Race organizers said there would be no podium presentation, as is traditional at the end of the race to celebrate the winners. The decision to abandon the stage was celebrated by protesters, who chanted that “Palestine won the Vuelta.”

The international competition, with over 180 cyclists biking 3,100 kilometers (1,900 miles) over three weeks, has turned into a diplomatic battleground due to the protests. Sanchez’s statement is his latest salvo against Israel, which he has previously accused of “genocide.”

In addition, last week, Spain announced an arms embargo and partial import ban on Israel. And Sanchez lamented that he couldn’t stop Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza because Madrid “doesn’t have nuclear bombs.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shot back that the remark was a “blatant genocidal threat.”

Following Sunday’s scenes in Madrid, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar castigated Sanchez for his statements, blaming the Spanish premier for the unrest and calling his government “a disgrace.” 

“Today he encouraged demonstrators to take to the streets,” Sa’ar posted on X on Sunday evening. “The pro-Palestinian mob heard the incitement messages – and wrecked the ‘La Vuelta’ cycling race. Thus, the sporting event that had always been a source of pride for Spain was canceled.”

In the shadow of that diplomatic rift, other officials from Spain’s left-wing government have also praised the protesters disrupting one of the country’s signature athletic events.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said he would support the expulsion of the Israeli-owned team from the race, while government spokesperson Pilar Alegría, who is also minister of sports and education, said neutrality is no longer possible in the face of the death and destruction in Gaza. She has called for Israel to be excluded from international competitions in the same way Russia has since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“It is difficult to explain and understand that there is a double standard,” Alegría told Spanish radio station Cadena SER last week.

“Given that there has been such a massacre, a genocide, such an absolutely terrible situation we are living through day-by-day, I would agree that the international federations and committees should take the same decision as in 2022,” she added.

Israel-Premier Tech has rebuffed calls to drop out of the race, saying such a decision would set a “dangerous precedent.” But it agreed earlier in the race to change its jersey to a monogrammed kit with only the team’s logo, in the hope of being less conspicuous.

“In the interest of prioritizing the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at [the Vuelta], Israel – Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the team’s September 6 statement said.