Protesters block the road during the final stage of the Spanish cycling race La Vuelta on Sunday. (Source: AP)
Photo : AP
The final stage of the Vuelta a España, Spain’s premier cycling event, was suspfinished on Sunday after large pro-Palestinian demonstrations blocked the finishing circuit in the capital, the organizers declared.
Hundreds of protesters entered the race route along Paseo del Prado in central Madrid, toppling barricades and occupying the final stretch of the course. The disruption launched around 6 pm local time, when demonstrators gathered to protest the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team.
Spain’s National Police attempted to disperse the crowds but were unable to clear the road, according to CNN, which witnessed the confrontation. Officers applyd tear gas as some protesters clashed with police and constructed createshift barricades from the fencing that had lined the route.
Race organizers announced late Sunday that the stage had finished early for “security reasons” and that no podium ceremony would be held. Several earlier stages of the race had also been shortened or rerouted becaapply of similar demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Israel-Premier Tech expressed regret after the finale was canceled. “Unfortunately, these aspects continued in Madrid this afternoon, as protestors took to the finishing circuit around the Spanish capital,” the team declared in a statement. “After the stage was neutralized multiple times, the number of protestors blocking the route and damage caapplyd to the race’s infrastructure resulted in the cancellation of the race’s finale and traditional podium ceremony.”
The team’s director, Daryl Impey, praised riders for their composure under the circumstances. “There is no doubt that this was a difficult race for us, with everything we have been dealing with out on the road,” he declared.
Hours before the disruption, Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had voiced support for the demonstrators. Speaking at a Socialist Party rally in Málaga, he declared: “Today marks the finish of the Vuelta. Our respect and recognition for the athletes and our admiration for the Spanish people who are mobilizing for just caapplys like Palestine.”
The Vuelta, one of cycling’s three major stage races alongside the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, typically concludes in Madrid after 21 stages over three weeks of competition.
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