Madrid: More than 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Madrid that forced the cancellation of the final stage of the Vuelta cycling race on Sunday, Spanish authorities said.

"There were more than 100,000 attendees," a spokeswoman for the central government's representation in the Madrid region told AFP.

Hundreds of demonstrators denouncing the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team in one of cycling's major races overwhelmed police and invaded the course in the Spanish capital, forcing organisers to cut short the final stage.

The unrest was the culmination of pro-Palestinian activism over Israel's war in Gaza that disrupted the three-week race on several occasions.

Pro-Palestinians protesters hold Palestinian flags during the 21st and last stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2025, a 101 km race near Cibeles fountain in Madrid on September 14, 2025. (Photo by Oscar Del Pozo / AFP)

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Spain PM 'proud' of pro-Palestinian protests

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday said pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked the Vuelta a Espana filled him with "pride" as large demonstrations await the race's final stage in Madrid.

"Spain today shines as an example and as a source of pride, an example to an international community where it sees Spain taking a step forward in the defence of human rights," he told a Socialist party gathering in Malaga.

Several members of the leftist government have publicly supported the movement in a country where support for the Palestinian cause is strong.

The authorities have ramped up security for Sunday's final stage in Madrid, which was slightly shortened and will see 1,100 police officers deploy in the Spanish capital.

Protesters briefly breached reinforced security and attempted to block the road during the penultimate stage in the Guadarrama mountains outside Madrid on Saturday, forcing cyclists to swerve around them.

The leader of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, lashed out on X at the protest, which he said "gave such a shameful image".

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz hailed Spanish society for "giving a lesson to the world".

"Israel cannot compete in any event while it continues to commit a genocide," she wrote on Instagram, days after the Israeli government barred her from entry for her criticism of the war in Gaza.

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