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Spanish authorities say more than 100,000 people participated in the last pro-Palestinian protests that interrupted the final phase of the Spanish Vuelte and forced the organizers to interrupt the Grand Tour event on Sunday, which limited the disorder campaign.
A central state representative for the Madrid region said the authorities assessed more than 100,000 people with Sunday protests. The number could not be checked independently.
Fran Martin Aguirre added that two people had been detained by the police.
Jonas Vingegaard, a rider for Vism-Loase a bike, was confirmed as the overall winner of the three-week cycling race.
There were conflicts between police and protesters near the Madrid finals. Some protesters who wore anti-Israeli banners partly blocked the road and forced riders to stop.
There was no stage winner and the stand ceremony was interrupted due to security problems. The organizers said the last phase “ended early to ensure the safety of the rider”.
“Because of the protest in Madrid, the race ended earlier than planned and there will be no ceremony of the podium,” the race officials said.
There were about 50 kilometers left on the 21st stage, which was mostly a festive ride to Madrid.
On Saturday, Vingegaard extended his total lead over João Almeid with a one minute, 16 seconds over Almeid.
It was the third Grand Tour title Vingegaard, he added to his pair of Tour de France for 2022 and 2023.
Police accompaniment
The protesters threw obstacles on the road on the final round in the Spanish capital. Riders were expected to make nine circles on the circle.
Several hundred protesters remained on the road where the race was supposed to pass. Anti-outlet banners are also hung from nearby buildings. The protests continued well in the evening in Madrid, most of which are calm.
Earlier, protesters threw objects on the police, and officials used tears to try to dispel the crowds. Spanish media reported that the authorities said that 20 people had been injured and at least two people were detained.
The race briefly continued on Sunday after the organizers of the race originally said they stopped because of the protest, but in the end they had to stop again while the authorities and the organizers talked about the situation.
The police followed the riders as they left the trail.
Protesters wore Palestinian flags rushed when cars to support teams walked past them.
Police in Riot Gear faced protesters at different points along the route. More than 1,500 police officers are deployed on the eve of the last phase.
There were no major incidents because the riders started in the last phase of 103.6 kilometers, starting with nearby Alalpard.
Spanish media said tens of thousands of protesters participated. About 50,000 fans were expected in the Spanish capital.
Diplomatic battlefield
The Grand Tour event turned into a diplomatic battlefield and was largely disrupted by protesters against the presence of the Israeli Premier Tech Tech team, which earlier in the race removed the name of the team from his uniforms.
The Israel Premier Tech driver Matthew Riccitello finished fifth and finished with a white jersey for the best youngest finisher.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez joined Ireland and Norway in recognizing the Palestinian state last year, and Spain became the first European state to ask the UN Court of permission to join South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide. Before the protest on Sunday, he called to the respect of the athlete, but expressed admiration for those who mobilized for such causes.
On the second day in a row on Saturday, protesters gathered to oppose the participation of Israel in Davis Cup in the midst of a conflict in Gaza. They also protested that the decision was tennis Canada to continue the event. Josh Hoffman reports
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar later criticized Sanchez on Sunday at X of what he said was encouraging to protesters.
Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida also criticized Sanchez and called Sunday a sad day for the Spanish capital.
Israel strongly denies charges of Gaza genocide and defended its military actions, which were launched in response to Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. This attack was killed by about 1,200 people, according to Israeli joints, while abusively offensively extinguished 64,871.
Seven of the last 11 days of the race was either interrupted or interrupted, with more than 20 people detained by the police. During one phase, the protester who wore the Palestinian flag tried to run on the road in front of the driver, which made the two collapsed. They continued, but one of them had to get out of the race.
Football fans are required by sports governing bodies – FIFA and UEFA – suspend Israeli national teams and clubs from participating in international games in response to the attacks on Gaza, occupied West Coast and Lebanon.
The final phase path reduced five kilometers due to traffic problems.
The previous phases have been modified for safety problems due to protests.
Authorities have announced that a heavy police presence will be deployed for the finals in Madrid to add 130 officials who have already traveled with the race. A military -type trucks, the officers in the mess and the riding police were seen near the Madrid route.
