Approximately 170,000 individuals marched through Madrid on Saturday in the most significant protest to date against an amnesty law that Spain’s Socialists endorsed concerning Catalonia’s 2017 separatist attempt to secure a government formation.
This protest, part of a series against the amnesty law held across the country, occurred two days after Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez secured a four-year term with the support of Catalan and Basque nationalist parties, contingent on his acceptance of the law. Protesters, many waving Spanish flags and brandishing signs reading “Sanchez traitor” and “Don’t sell Spain,” voiced opposition to a law that four judicial associations, opposition parties, and business leaders argue jeopardizes the rule of law and the separation of powers.
Authorities estimated the number of demonstrators at 170,000. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the opposition conservative People’s Party, and Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, participated in the march organized by civil groups. Following the rally, hundreds protested near the Moncloa Palace, the prime minister’s residence in Madrid, causing a temporary closure of the A6 road. A smaller protest occurred outside the Spanish Embassy in London.
The amnesty, covering about 400 individuals linked to the 2017 independence bid, including separatists and police involved in clashes, marks the largest in Spain since the 1977 blanket amnesty for crimes during the Franco dictatorship. It is also the first amnesty law approved in the European Union since 1991, according to Spain’s CSIC research council.
Sanchez, securing parliamentary approval with 179 votes in favor and 171 against, defended the law, asserting that an amnesty would help alleviate tensions in Catalonia. Protests, including those by neo-Nazi groups, have unfolded outside the Socialist headquarters in Madrid for 15 consecutive nights since the deal was announced. While clashes with police have occurred, the demonstrations have, for the most part, remained peaceful. A Metroscopia survey in mid-September revealed that around 70% of respondents, including 59% of Socialist supporters, opposed the idea of an amnesty.
