Hours after the cancellation of the final leg of the Vuelta a España in Madrid due to pro-Palestinian protests over the Israeli massacre in Gaza, Alberto Núñez Feijóo hosted a breakfast meeting with José Luis Martínez-Almeida in the capital. Coincidentally, the PP leader supported the city's mayor on Monday during the event held at the Four Seasons Hotel—which had been planned for several days—after the PP had already come out in force on Sunday to accuse the Prime Minister of"inducing" the protests due to his statements made that morning in Málaga.

The demonstrations had already taken place at other stages and had been called for days in the capital. And this Sunday, they ended with the interruption of the last edition in Madrid. A day later, Feijóo and Martínez-Almeida teamed up to emphasize the"violent" nature of the protests and place the blame squarely on Pedro Sánchez."The Prime Minister is responsible for acts of violence that could shame any country," the opposition leader asserted."Freedom of expression and demonstration are legitimate, but they cannot be confused with a boycott of the Vuelta a España (Spanish Tour of Spain) that puts people's lives at risk," he emphasized.

Hours later, before the National Executive Board of the People's Party (PP), which met this Monday in Genoa, Feijóo insisted that"it is political violence to prevent a sports competition from completing." The PP leader, however, maintained a balanced approach to the Israeli government's massacre in Gaza so as not to side with Benjamin Netanyahu."You can condemn what is happening in Gaza without falling into antisemitism and being congratulated by a terrorist group," he reflected. Feijóo, facing a Vox party that is gaining ground in the polls and after a noisy and furious start to the current term for the PP, changed his approach today before his supporters and asked them for"common sense" to escape the "hotbed of toxicity" that, in his opinion, is Spanish politics. “Common sense isn't vacillation or indecision. It isn't when extremism takes hold of the country. Common sense is strength. Taking everything to the extreme always tears us apart as a nation. It tears society apart and can have dire consequences, as we've seen elsewhere in the world,” he argued before the PP leadership.

The Popular Party (PP) has also continued to show its differences regarding the Palestinian massacre, with Feijóo attempting to seek a conciliatory stance. This Monday, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, described what happened on the streets of the capital yesterday, Sunday, during the pro-Palestinian protests as"Sarajevo at war." Meanwhile, the president of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, emphasized that the situation in Gaza is"completely unacceptable."

Some 100,000 protesters took to the streets this Sunday, according to data from the Government Delegation, during the protests. The Ministry of the Interior had planned a strong security operation similar to that for the 2022 NATO Summit. Two people were arrested and 22 police officers were injured in the riots, which led to the cancellation of the final leg of the Vuelta a España race yesterday afternoon.

In the morning, Sánchez expressed his “admiration” for the participants in the protests called against the massacre in Palestine and against the presence of the Israel-Pro Tech team in the Vuelta a España, which it was already known would be repeated in the latest edition of the cycling race, after the organizers called for a “massive” rally.

But, for Feijóo, the"violence" on the streets of Madrid was Sánchez's responsibility."The president encouraged a protest that had already taken on violent overtones in previous days," the PP leader asserted this Monday. He also attacked the head of the government for leaving the police deployed in the capital"alone." "They don't care about the lives of the police officers, the safety of the runners; we've made an international fool of ourselves on live television," Feijóo continued."I ask that the president set some limits, that he respect the state's security forces," he said upon arriving at the news breakfast.

Following the accusations leveled against the government, the PP leader once again called for the prime minister's resignation during his speech at the Four Seasons."An irresponsible president who encourages violence between fellow citizens cannot be at the head of a democratic government. Sánchez yesterday added yet another reason why he is no longer worthy of the office he holds. Against the political violence and the broken society that the government encourages, I want a pluralistic society and a society at peace," Feijóo said.

False data

The mayor of Madrid, for his part, continued with the statements he made this Sunday, when he also expressed his anger alongside local police officers."What happened yesterday in Madrid was not a peaceful demonstration protesting the daily suffering of the Gazan people; what happened yesterday was a violent demonstration," Martínez-Almeida said on Monday."I will always respect all those protesters who are protesting peacefully, in this case against the suffering being endured in Gaza. But what I cannot respect are all those who fuel violent demonstrations, and for whom the suffering of the Gazan people is nothing more than an excuse to cover up their political shortcomings at this time," he added.

The PP councilor also accused the Government Delegation of falsely reporting the number of protesters, 100,000, and described the Interior Ministry's planned response as"insufficient." "The instruction was: don't do too much, knowing the Government Delegate," he denounced.

Martínez-Almeida attacked the president and other members of the government for"setting the streets on fire," "encouraging violence," and "causing unrest." He warned that they will defeat him again "where democracy is demonstrated, at the ballot box."

The mayor of Madrid has maintained that Pedro Sánchez used "the suffering of the Gazan people" as an "excuse to cover up his political shortcomings," referring to the cases affecting his wife, his brother, and the Attorney General. He also indicated that he used the term to"stir up confrontation" with Madrid, presenting an image of"unrest" and "riots."

"The worst for Sánchez is yet to come," he predicted. Martínez-Almeida also explained why he believes genocide should not be discussed in Israel, entering right into one of the debates that bothers Alberto Núñez Feijóo."It's perfectly compatible to say that what's happening in Gaza must end as soon as possible with saying that what we have is a government that has a terrorist group like Hamas, and at the same time, what we can't do is say that the State of Israel is committing genocide because, in the end, they're trying to make it seem like, from the river to the sea, no one talks about the Russian state; they always talk about the Russian government, about Putin," the mayor of Madrid stated.