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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Final stage of Spain’s Vuelta cycling race suspended following
pro-Palestinian protests
By Pau Mosquera, Jonny Hallam, Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN
Updated:
4:26 PM EDT, Sun September 14, 2025
Source: CNN
The final stage of the Vuelta a Espana was suspended on Sunday after
several large pro-Palestinian protests disrupted the premier cycling
event in the Spanish capital Madrid, according to organizers.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the final distance of
the race route on Paseo del Prado in the center of the city, after a
group of demonstrators pushed over crowd barriers that had lined the
road.
The disruption started around 6 p.m. local time on Sunday after the
demonstrators gathered to protest against the Israel-Premier Tech
team’s participation in the competition.
As witnessed by CNN, officers from Spain’s National Police attempted
to disperse the crowds occupying the final mile of the race route that
led up to the finish line but were unsuccessful.
Police deployed tear gas to try to clear people from the area, but
several protesters clashed with police and formed barricades in the
middle of the road, using the fences that had closed off the area as
makeshift barriers.
At least 22 police officers were injured during the clashes, a
spokesperson for Spain’s National Police told CNN. The Spanish
Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martin Aguirre said two people
have been arrested in connection with Sunday’s protests in the
capital.
Organizers posted on social media late Sunday that the race had ended
early for “security reasons,” and that there would be “no podium
ceremony.”
Several previous stages of the race held before Sunday had been
shortened or changed because of similar protests against Israel’s war
in Gaza.
Israel-Premier Tech expressed its regret following the event, which
resulted in the cancellation of the race’s finale and traditional
podium ceremony.
“Unfortunately, these aspects continued in Madrid this afternoon, as
protestors took to the finishing circuit around the Spanish capital.
After the stage was neutralized multiple times, the number of
protestors blocking the route and damage caused to the race’s
infrastructure resulted in the cancellation of the race’s finale and
traditional podium ceremony,” Israel – Premier Tech said in a
statement on Sunday.
The team’s director, Daryl Impey, praised the riders for the way they
handled the situation. “There is no doubt that this was a difficult
race for us, with everything we have been dealing with out on the
road,” Impey said in the statement.
Sunday’s clashes came hours after Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro
Sanchez said he applauded the pro-Palestinian protesters who had
disrupted the race.
“Today marks the end of the Vuelta,” Sanchez told a Socialist party
rally in the southern city of Malaga on Sunday. “Our respect and
recognition for the athletes and our admiration for the Spanish people
who are mobilizing for just causes like Palestine.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar late on Sunday called Sanchez
and his government “a disgrace” to their country, accusing him of
“encouraging the protesters to take to the streets” of Madrid
through “his incitements,” in a post on X.
The Vuelta competition is Spain’s top annual multi-stage professional
road cycling race, composed of 21 stages that are completed in three
weeks of competition.
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