Tens of thousands march in Madrid to demand prime minister’s resignation

MADRID, May 23 (Reuters) – At least seven police officers were injured in clashes with protesters as tens of thousands of people marched in Madrid on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following a series of corruption scandals, officials said.

A small group of protesters attempted to breach barriers around Sanchez’s home during the rally, which was generally peaceful.

According to images on Spanish television, police detained a group of masked people on the main road approaching the Moncloa Palace, where the Socialist leader lived with his family. Police said three people were arrested.

In the “Pride March” organized by the Spanish Civil Society Association, demonstrators carried many gold and red national flags, as well as banners saying “Resignation of the Socialist Mafia”.

Leaders of the opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party also attended the meeting.

A Spanish court announced Tuesday that former Spanish Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is being investigated for allegedly leading an influence peddling and money laundering ring, in another blow to the leftist government.

Zapatero, a key ally of the current prime minister, has denied any wrongdoing.

Sanchez considered resigning in April 2024 after a judge opened an investigation into his wife, Begoña Gomez. He publicly defended his family, saying the trials were “politically motivated and driven by far-right dissidents.”

He denies any wrongdoing, and last month a Spanish prosecutor asked the investigating judge to close the case brought by far-right groups.

Organizers said 80,000 people attended the protest. The Spanish government representative in Madrid put the number at around 40,000.

(Reporting by Graham Keeley, ​Michael Gore; Editing by Andrew Heavens)