At least seven police officers were injured in clashes as tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the Spanish capital on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following a string of corruption scandals.
The "March for Dignity," organized by the Spanish Civil Society association, was backed by leaders from the mainstream conservative opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party. While the rally was largely peaceful, a small group of masked protesters clashed with security forces as they attempted to break through barriers near Moncloa Palace, the Prime Minister's official residence. Police arrested three individuals. Demonstrators waved national flags and carried banners reading "Resignation of the socialist mafia" and "No more impunity."
The protest follows a major political blow to the leftist government on Tuesday, when Spain's High Court placed former Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero under formal investigation. Zapatero, a close ally of Sanchez, faces allegations of heading an influence-peddling and money-laundering network linked to a €53 million ($62 million) pandemic-era state bailout of the airline Plus Ultra. Zapatero has strongly denied the claims. Prime Minister Sanchez himself has been under intense pressure. In April 2024, he briefly weighed resigning after a judge opened a corruption probe into his wife, Begoña Gomez.
Sanchez's brother, David Sanchez, is also scheduled to face trial for influence peddling. Sanchez has repeatedly defended his family, dismissing the legal challenges as politically motivated smear campaigns manufactured by far-right opponents.
Gomez has also denied any wrongdoing. Last month, a Spanish prosecutor requested that the court drop her case. Estimates on crowd size varied widely. Rally organizers claimed 80,000 people took part, while the central government’s representative in Madrid estimated attendance at roughly 40,000.
