Chaos As Anti Israel Mob Shuts Vuelta a España Finale
The final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race was shut down today, Sunday 14th September after thousands of anti-Israel protesters clashed with police and took over the final route where the race was due to pass along Gran Via and by Atocha.
The focus of the demonstrators was against the Israeli cycling team who have faced considerable abuse throughout the Vuelta a España race.
At least six of the last 10 stages of the Grand Tour race have been interrupted or shortened by anti-Israel demonstrators, with over 20 people detained by police.
On Gran Via, where cyclists were due to pass multiple times, protesters knocked down barriers and marched into the road, some chanting for a boycott of Israel as green and red smoke filled the air. Near Atocha, Madrid’s central train station, police charged demonstrators and fired tear gas, before letting them walk into the road.
Organizers said there would be no podium presentation as is traditional at the end of the race to celebrate the winners. The decision to abandon the stage was celebrated by protesters, who chanted that “Palestine won the Vuelta.”
The international competition, with over 180 cyclists biking 3,100 kilometers (1,900 miles) over three weeks, has turned into a diplomatic battleground due to the protests. Sanchez’s statement is his latest salvo against Israel, which he has previously accused of “genocide.”
In addition, last week, Spain announced an arms embargo and partial import ban on Israel. And Sanchez lamented that he couldn’t stop Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza because Madrid “doesn’t have nuclear bombs.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back saying the remark was a “blatant genocidal threat.”
In the shadow of that diplomatic rift, other officials from Spain’s left-wing government have also praised the protesters disrupting one of the country’s signature athletic events.
Israel-Premier Tech has rebuffed calls to drop out of the race, saying such a decision would set a “dangerous precedent.” But it agreed earlier in the race to change its jersey to a monogrammed kit with only the team’s logo, in the hope of being less conspicuous.
“In the interest of prioritizing the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at [the Vuelta], Israel – Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the team’s September 6 statement said.
The decision came a day before a protester jumped into the path of the race, causing two cyclists, not on the Israeli team, to crash. Since then, two stages of the race have been shortened because of the protests, and others have faced interference.
This weekend, one member of the team, Matthew Riccitello, was named the Best Young Rider of the Vuelta. Riccitello, 23, won the title on Saturday following an impressive sixth-place finish on the race’s penultimate stage, which was blocked by a large group of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and holding signs.
For Israel-Premier Tech, Riccitello’s award was a bright spot. He was to be awarded a white jersey on the podium Sunday, the first in the Israeli team’s history, with a fifth-place showing overall in the race.
“Of course it was a goal,” he said following the stage on Saturday. “Everything kind of went perfect today. All I had to do was follow the wheels and hang as long as I could. I’m happy with how the legs have felt these three weeks.”
“Instead of ministers encouraging it, the government should condemn, denounce and prevent it,” he added.
And Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of Spain’s Madrid region, visited the team on Sunday in what the team called a show of support.
“I came to welcome the Israeli team and to say that what you have experienced over the past three weeks is not Spain,” she said, according to a statement from the team. “It is the behavior of a minority, and it does not represent us. My message to the team is clear: You are not alone.”
