Stage 18 of the Vuelta a España, one of the world's three biggest cycling races, saw repeated anti-Israel protests, forcing race organizers to shorten the stage's route from its usual 27.5 kilometers to 12 kilometers for security reasons.
Spanish demonstrators protested the participation of the Israel Premier Tech team, owned by Sylvan Adams, a close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The race will be held from August 23 to September 14, 2025, covering a total distance of 3,151 kilometres and comprising 21 stages.
After completing the first stages of the race in Italy and France, the cycling race entered Spain on August 27, where it witnessed near-daily protests against Israel.
"A model and a source of pride"
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In this context, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that his country represents "a model and a source of pride for the international community" due to the protests organized during the race against the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza.
During a speech delivered at a rally organized by his Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in Malaga, Sanchez explained that the La Vuelta race, which has been taking place across Spain since August 27, has been marked by anti-Israel protests, considering that his country has "taken a step forward in defending human rights."
Sanchez expressed his admiration for the Spanish people who rallied around "just causes like the Palestinian cause," emphasizing that citizens in a multicultural and multiregional country like Spain must unite for "a just cause, which is the defense of human rights."
It's worth noting that civil society organizations supporting Palestine in Spain launched an initiative, coinciding with the launch of the La Vuelta race, called the "Sports Boycott Platform with Israel." The initiative called for banning the occupying state from participating in sporting competitions as long as its government continues to commit war crimes and carry out genocide in Gaza.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,871 Palestinians dead and 164,610 wounded, most of them children and women. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and a famine has claimed the lives of 422 Palestinians, including 145 children.
