MADRID, May 23 – Authorities arrested several masked individuals Saturday after they attempted to breach security barriers surrounding the official residence of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during a large demonstration demanding his resignation over multiple corruption allegations.
Law enforcement officers detained the group on the primary roadway leading to Madrid’s Moncloa Palace, the prime minister’s family residence, according to footage broadcast on Spanish television networks.
Massive crowds of protesters displayed signs reading “Resignation of the socialist mafia” along with other critical messages, while waving numerous Spanish national flags during the March for Dignity event, coordinated by the Spanish Civil Society association.
Representatives from the opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party participated in the demonstration, which remained mostly peaceful throughout.
Earlier this week on Tuesday, a Spanish court revealed that former Spanish Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is under investigation for allegedly orchestrating an influence-peddling and money-laundering operation, adding to the current leftist administration’s mounting corruption troubles.
Zapatero, who serves as a crucial supporter of the sitting prime minister, rejected all allegations of misconduct on Tuesday.
Event coordinators claimed 80,000 participants joined the demonstration, while the Spanish government’s Madrid representative estimated attendance at approximately 40,000 people.
