"Let's stop the betrayal" was the war cry of thousands of Spaniards who came out tonight to demonstrate against the investiture agreements orchestrated by Pedro Sánchez, general secretary of the Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) and current acting president of the Spanish Government.
#WATCH | Spanish police use tear gas and violence to break up a peaceful protest in Madrid against Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the socialist party that is about to form a government. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/aJEyRRS4h6
— VOZ (@Voz_US) November 6, 2023
Sánchez, who did not win the last elections, is making agreements with the separatist parties and the Spanish radical left to remain as president. To this end, he has promised unprecedented concessions that generate concern in Spanish society. One of them is a controversial amnesty law, a legal figure that is not contemplated in the Constitution and is criticized by many jurists.
In Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Granada and several cities in Spain, thousands of citizens rushed to the PSOE headquarters to peacefully protest against the amnesty law itself and other concessions that Pedro Sánchez is granting to minority and separatist parties to remain in office.
The authorities' response was brutal: tear gas, beatings and a lot of violence to repress civilians, including elderly people.
#WATCH | “Like in Venezuela.”
Peaceful protest in Madrid against Pedro Sánchez, leader of socialist party PSOE, is broken up with tear gas. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/zfIxt3bTBq
— VOZ (@Voz_US) November 6, 2023
In dozens of videos that circulated on social media, you can see how the police immobilized a 70-year-old man who wanted to continue protesting on Ferraz Street in Madrid, in front of the PSOE headquarters, the area where the repression was greater.
In another video, you can see how the authorities sought to control several women who were protesting. A police officer fired a shot at close range, although it is not possible to determine if it was against one of the women.
¿Acaba este policía de disparar a tan poca distancia a esta chica? pic.twitter.com/7RJqmIcGrh
— Bertrand Ndongo (@bertrandmyd) November 6, 2023
This Monday's protest, called by social media, began after 9:30 p.m. Madrid time. According to Spanish media, the number of those summoned far exceeded other spontaneous demonstrations on Friday and Saturday.
On this occasion, the protest included the participation of the leader of the conservative Vox party, Santiago Abascal, and several figures from the group, such as its political vice president, Jorge Buxadé.
"It was a peaceful demonstration, without any incident, until Marlaska and Sánchez gave the order to gas families, the elderly and children," they published from the official Vox account.
"They want people to be afraid to protest peacefully. They want there to be violence. In VOX you will find neither fear nor violence. They will not manipulate the Spanish people! Permanent mobilization!"
Era una manifestación pacífica, sin ningún incidente, hasta que Marlaska y Sánchez han dado orden de gasear a familias, a ancianos y a niños.
Quieren que la gente tenga miedo de manifestarse pacíficamente.
Quieren que haya violencia.
En VOX no encontraran ni miedo ni… https://t.co/II4AyPwIZz
— VOX 🇪🇸 (@vox_es) November 6, 2023
According to a first report from El Mundo, a person was arrested for pushing an agent, and a dozen protesters were injured.
The organization, A Police for the 21st Century, protested against the actions of law enforcement, explaining that the use of tear gas is prohibited and should not be used in this type of protest.
Me confirman fuentes del dispositivo que SÍ han usado lacrimógenos. Medios que el gobierno no suele permitir usar ni contra los radicales más violentos.
Desde mi defensa siempre de las actuaciones policiales, debo decir que esto, hoy, es INDEFENDIBLE.
El enemigo es quien da las…
— Josema Vallejo (@JosemaVallejo) November 6, 2023
