Tens of thousands of Spaniards flooded central Madrid on Saturday, demanding Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s resignation at one of the largest opposition-driven protests the capital has seen in years. The march arrived days after a Spanish court announced it was investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a close Sanchez ally, for allegedly running an influence-peddling and money-laundering network.
The turnout itself became its own contested fact. Organizers put the crowd at 80,000; the Spanish government’s representative in Madrid counted roughly 40,000.
The rally, billed as the March for Dignity and organized by the Spanish Civil Society association, drew leaders from both the opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party. Participants filled the streets with scores of gold and red national flags and banners demanding the removal of what the signs called the “socialist mafia.”
The afternoon was largely peaceful, but a flash of disorder punctuated it near the end. A small group of protesters tried to push through the barriers surrounding Moncloa Palace, Sanchez’s official residence. Police detained a group of masked individuals on the main road approaching the palace, arrested three people, and treated at least seven officers for injuries.
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It also lands on an already battered administration. In April 2024, Sanchez briefly considered resigning after a judge opened a separate inquiry into his wife, Begoña Gomez, a case brought by far-right groups. A Spanish prosecutor asked the investigating judge last month to close it. Gomez has denied any wrongdoing.
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