Thousands of people gathered on Sunday in Madrid’s central Plaza de España to protest against the government in a demonstration organised by the Popular Party. Under the slogan “Mafia or democracy”, the PP called on citizens to “mobilise” against Sánchez following the scandal surrounding the WhatsApp messages of socialist activist Leire Díez and the alleged cases of corruption plaguing his term in office.
‘We are here to defend our country and democratic dignity,’ opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said in a speech. ‘Spain is tired, but it has not given up. Today we are here (…) so that you can speak loud and clear to the president who is hiding; here is a country that is not doing so (…) we are not going to remain silent,’ he added.
PIC!!
The rally, which began at 11:00 local time, also featured speeches by the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and was attended by former presidents José María Aznar and Mariano Rajoy.
According to the Popular Party, some 100,000 people took part in Sunday’s protest, although the Government Delegation in Madrid put the number of attendees at around 50,000.
Feijóo calls on Sánchez to call a general election
The opposition leader said in his speech that ‘nobody voted for him to do this’, referring to the pact with the separatists, the amnesty, and the alleged cases of corruption involving the PSOE and Sánchez’s own family.
The PP leader had asked the organisers of the protest not to carry party flags, as he wanted to encourage the participation of voters from other opposition parties, such as the far-right Vox. However, the far-right party has chosen not to send any representatives to the event, considering it to be ‘partisan’.
In recent days, the Popular Party has encouraged citizens from across the country to travel to Madrid to participate in the demonstration, and buses have been chartered to ensure a large turnout. Sunday’s protest is the sixth demonstration organised by Feijóo’s party since he became leader of the PP in April 2022.
Source: Euro News
