Rally in Madrid against Catalan amnesty after Sanchez was sworn in as Spanish Prime Minister
Reminder that the mainstream media ignored this…
— PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) December 15, 2023
The people of Spain had massive protests against Socialism for over a whole month 🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸pic.twitter.com/i7LrGAlFZZ
At least 170,000 people gathered in central Madrid for another large protest against the controversial Catalan amnesty law that has allowed Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, to secure a second term in office.
Sánchez was sworn in on Friday after winning an investiture vote the previous day that came almost four months after July’s inconclusive snap general election. Although the conservative People’s party (PP) narrowly beat Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers party (PSOE) in the election, it was unable to secure the parliamentary support to form a government even with the backing of the far-right Vox party and other smaller groupings.
However, the PSOE and its partners in the leftwing Sumar alliance managed to cobble together the necessary votes by enlisting the support of the two main Catalan pro-independence parties in return for offering an amnesty for those involved in the unsuccessful, unilateral push to secede from Spain six years ago.
Sánchez’s decision to agree to the proposed amnesty – which he had opposed in the run-up to the election – has infuriated his political opponents, who have accused him of hypocrisy, cynical manoeuvring and putting his own political survival before the country’s interests. The move has also angered many Spaniards on the left and right.
Earlier this month, Brussels called on Madrid for an explanation on the amnesty bill after saying it had “been contacted about the issue by a large number of citizens”.
Luis Garrido, 65, who called himself a “socialist but not a Sanchist”, said the prime minister should not have accepted “this price”.
“I don’t want Spain to sink” and be “divided in this way”, he said.
The crowd that gathered around midday dispersed peacefully after speeches were made.
Demonstrations have been held every day for the past two weeks in front of the Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid, some of which have turned violent and resulted in dozens of arrests.
