Over 40,000 people have protested against the right-wing Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party in Madrid. According to a British news agency, protestors spoke out against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
People from all over Spain flocked to rally in Madrid. The protesting supporters of the People’s Party, conservative Christian-democrats, waved Spanish flags as they marched the city.
The protest follows calls from the prime minister to cooperate with members of the Catalan movement for independence, including Carles Puigdemont, a former Catalan leader who was removed from office by Madrid following the unilateral Catalan declaration of independence in 2017. Puigdemont has been on the run ever since.
This idea triggered a massive backlash from the public. Arranging a deal with the Catalans would allow Sánchez to maintain a parliamentary majority and his position. To follow through with the agreement, the supporters of Catalan independence would have to be pardoned.
Earlier this year, Catalan leaders reprotedly called for a new independence referendum from Spain.