Thousands of people gathered in Madrid on Sunday to support Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, just hours before he was set to announce his decision to continue or step down from his position after five days of reflection due to attacks on his wife, Begoña Gómez. The protest, organized by the youth organization La Plaza, drew 5,000 people according to the Government Delegation of Madrid, much less than the 12,500 who gathered in front of the PSOE federal headquarters on Saturday. Similar mass mobilizations took place in other cities, such as Valencia, to urge Sánchez not to resign. The march in Madrid, which ran from the Glorieta de Atocha to the Congress of Deputies, was organized by the youth association La Plaza under the slogan “for the love of democracy”.
One of the spokespersons, José Luis Martínez, stated that the goal of the protest was to “defend democracy” and demand that the PP “stop playing dirty”. He accused the PP and its media and judicial power of being a mafia that mobilizes whenever they lose power. Throughout the march, demonstrators chanted “Sánchez stay” and “It’s worth it, of course”, as well as messages of support for the president’s wife, chanting “Begoña, we are with you”. Most attendees carried banners with messages like “Don’t give up!”, “For the love of democracy”, and “Sánchez, yes”. Although no party initials were mentioned in the call, several leaders from Sumar and Más Madrid attended.
Health Minister Mónica García expressed her support for Sánchez and denounced the political “bullying” by the right that aims to dehumanize the opposition. She highlighted that it is not part of a politician’s job for newspapers to “blatantly lie” or try to remove a legitimate government based on lies. Íñigo Errejón, spokesperson for Yolanda Díaz’s party in Congress, emphasized that the protest was not about a person or party, but about the “right for the left to govern in Spain”. The protest was also attended by Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, Sumar’s candidate for the European elections Estrella Galán, and Más Madrid’s regional spokesperson Manuela Bergerot.
Participants like Álvaro Navaja, a 57-year-old retiree, compared the situation to an attempted coup like the 23-F in Spain, highlighting the importance of defending democracy against forces that undermine it. Another protester, Ángel, 70 years old, attended in defense of democracy and expressed concern over the failure to renew the judicial power. Ramón, a 62-year-old civil servant, was emotional and angry, citing historical instances of left-wing presidents facing harassment leading to right-wing takeovers.
As the protest reached the Congress, it turned into a festive event, with some jumping and others waving Spanish flags to the tune of songs in support of Sánchez. Some shouted “Madrid will be the tomb of fascism”, while many placed their protest signs on a fence facing the Congress lions as a silent show of support for Sánchez on the eve of his decision announcement. The atmosphere was filled with a mix of emotions, from anger and defiance to hope and solidarity, as people came together to express their views on the political situation in Spain.
