Pro-Palestine protests bring ‘extraordinary’ security for Spain’s Vuelta

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More than 400 other Civil Guards volition be last 2 stages of expansive circuit aft erstwhile pro-Palestine protests.

Published On 10 Sep 2025

An “extraordinary” information boost volition travel the last 2 stages of the Vuelta successful the Madrid region, Spanish authorities said, arsenic pro-Palestinian protests stone 1 of cycling’s expansive tours.

The demonstrations, which person targeted the Israel-Premier Tech squad implicit the devastating warfare successful Gaza, person affected respective stages of the 21-day contention and formed uncertainty connected organisers’ quality to spot it done to its completion.

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The cardinal government’s practice successful Madrid said successful a connection connected Wednesday that much than 400 other Civil Guards volition support the penultimate signifier connected Saturday, and 1,100 constabulary officers volition deploy for Sunday’s finale.

The “extraordinary deployment” would beryllium the police’s largest information effort since Madrid hosted the 2022 NATO summit, the connection added.

“With this reinforcement, the purpose is to marque compatible the unfolding of the sporting lawsuit successful the 2 Madrid stages … and the morganatic close to protest,” the authorities said.

Race organisers had denied they were weighing whether oregon not to cancel the last stages, but person suggested that Israel-Premier Tech retreat for the different teams’ safety.

Police bureau look connected astatine protesters with the emblem of Palestine during signifier 11 of Vuelta a Espana

Protesters person burst onto the people and caused crashes, portion past week’s signifier 11 was neutralised earlier the decorativeness successful Bilbao with nary victor declared owed to demonstrators disrupting the run-in.

On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters blocked a roadworthy adjacent to the decorativeness and faced disconnected with police, forcing signifier 16 successful the northwestern portion of Galicia to beryllium shortened.

Riders person said they volition neutralise signifier 17 connected Wednesday if further protests disrupt the competition.

“We decided that if determination is an incident, we would effort to neutralise the contention and past that would beryllium it,” Australia’s Jack Haig told reporters. “In the end, racing to an undefined decorativeness enactment is not truly just sport,” the Bahrain Victorious rider added.

Israel-Premier Tech, owned by Israeli-Canadian spot developer Sylvan Adams, is simply a backstage outfit and not a authorities team, but was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for continuing to vie contempt the vehement protests.

The Palestinian origin enjoys wide enactment successful Spain, whose mediocre relations with Israel nosedived adjacent further this week, starring Madrid to callback its ambassador from Tel Aviv and barroom 2 far-right Israeli authorities ministers.