Spain’s La Vuelta cycling race cut short amid pro-Palestine protests

BRUSSELS / LONDON

The latest stage of Spain's La Vuelta cycling race was stopped just 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) short of the finish line on Wednesday due to Israel-related protests, local news reported.

The three-week race, held from Aug. 23 to Sept. 14, has been marked by almost daily anti-Israel demonstrations since Aug. 27, when it entered Spain from Italy and France.

After entering Spain, La Vuelta faced demonstrations against Israel, which prevented the race from being completed under normal conditions.

The protesters specifically targeted the Israeli team, Israel-Premier Tech, owned by Sylvan Adams, a known friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for its removal from the race.

Spain’s northern Basque Country saw widespread demonstrations supporting Palestine and condemning Israel. In Enekuri, a group of protesters blocked the road with Palestinian flags and banners reading "Stop the genocide." The race briefly stopped before police cleared the route.

Throughout the stage, residents of towns along the route displayed Palestinian flags from balconies and continued protesting. Some demonstrators also carried dolls covered in red paint, symbolizing children killed in Gaza.

With large crowds still protesting near the finish line in Bilbao, organizers decided to end the race early, citing safety concerns. No winner was declared for the 11th stage.

Sira Rego, Spain's youth and children’s minister, urged race director Javier Guillen to expel the Israeli team from La Vuelta and allow demonstrations to proceed.

"The real violence is not on the streets of our cities or on the banners of our young people; instead, it is in the daily tragedies being suffered by the Palestinian population under occupation and siege," she wrote in a letter she posted on social media.

"Consider if the values of La Vuelta are compatible with the participation of a team linked to a state that violates international law, that is perpetuating a genocide and massacring a defenseless population," she added.

Civil society groups in Spain have also launched a campaign arguing that Israel should be barred from international competitions while it is accused of committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued its war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 63,600 Palestinians.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.