Protests against Israel’s participation at La Vuelta cycling event
Protests against Israel’s participation in Spain’s La Vuelta cycling race are growing, with the Israel-Premier Tech team targeted along the route.
In the latest rally, thousands of protesters in Belagua, Navarra, waved Palestinian flags, carried banners reading “No to genocide”, and attempted to block riders from the Israeli team. Police intervened and security was tightened.
The event will pass through Bilbao in the Basque Country tomorrow, where more protests are expected.
Spain’s Youth and Children’s Minister Sira Rego urged race director Javier Guillen to expel the Israeli team and allow the protests to occur.
“The real violence is not on the streets of our cities or on the banners of our young people; instead, it is in the daily tragedies being suffered by the Palestinian population under occupation and siege,” she said in a post on social media.
The three-week race, held from August 23 to September 14, has been marked by almost daily anti-Israel demonstrations since it entered Spain from Italy and France on August 27.
Gaza-bound aid flotilla seeks European protection amid Israeli threats
The Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla demanded protection from the Spanish government and Europe amid the Israeli threats.
“Israel is threatening the Global Sumud Flotilla, ships carrying medicines and food to Gaza on a humanitarian mission. We demand that the Government and Europe act to ensure their protection in compliance with international law,” the Flotilla wrote on X.
It announced that the Pakistani delegation joined the Malaysian flotilla Sumud Nusantara, which is also joining the Global Sumud Flotilla to break Israel’s blockade.
