Final stage of Spanish Vuelta cycling race shut down in solidarity with Palestine

Image from the protest via Ione Belarra on Facebook

Various Sources

On Sunday (September 14), during the last stage of the Vuelta a España—a premier three-week cycling race in Spain—over 100,000 Palestinian solidarity protesters gathered in Madrid. Large parts of the race route were blocked by demonstrators who threw barriers onto the road and attempted to halt the race. Due to the solidarity actions the organizers were forced to call off the final stage with around 50 kilometers remaining and canceled the podium ceremony, officially declaring Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard the overall winner.

Earlier in the race, several stages had already been shortened or stopped due to similar protests targeting the Israeli-owned Premier Tech cycling team, which tried to quell the protests by removing its name from team uniforms.

The protests centered on opposition to the presence of Israel Premier Tech, a team owned by Israeli-Canadian Sylvan Adams, and broader condemnation of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Spain’s Socialist Party government has expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez openly supporting the protesters and recognizing Palestine as a state. This political stance has been reflected in Spain's diplomatic actions, including recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv and calling for Israel Premier Tech to be banned from international sporting events.

“I think that debate that’s begun after what happened here in Madrid yesterday should widen and spread to all corners of the world,” Sanchez said on Monday.

“It’s already happening in some parts of the world and we’ve seen how European governments are saying that as long as the barbarism continues, Israel can’t use any international platform to whitewash its presence. And I think that sports organisations need to ask themselves whether it’s ethical for Israel to keep taking part in international competitions.”

Secretary General of Podemos, Ione Belarra, also praised the demonstrators saying she was "proud" of the people of Madrid. "This is being on the right side of history."