At least seven police were injured in clashes with protesters, officials said, as tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after a series of corruption scandals.
A man holds a poster with a picture of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as he takes part in a rally organised by Spain’s far-right VOX party against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government, in Madrid, Spain, May 23, 2026. Reuters/Kacper Pempel
At least seven police were injured in clashes with protesters, officials said, as tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after a series of corruption scandals.
A small group of protesters tried to break through barriers around Sanchez's residence during the rally which was otherwise largely peaceful.
Police detained a group of masked people on the main road approaching the Moncloa Palace, where the Socialist leader lives with his family, images on Spanish television showed. Three people were arrested, police said.
Demonstrators carried banners marked with "Resignation of the socialist mafia" and other slogans, alongside scores of gold and red national flags in the "March for Dignity", organised by the Spanish Civil Society association.
Leaders from the opposition People's Party and the far-right Vox party also took part.
A Spanish court announced on Tuesday that former Spanish Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was being investigated for allegedly leading an influence-peddling and money-laundering network, in another blow to the leftist government.
Zapatero, a key ally of the current prime minister, denied any wrongdoing.
Sanchez briefly considered resigning in April 2024 after a judge opened an investigation into his wife Begoña Gomez. He has publicly defended his family, saying the cases are politically motivated and driven by far-right opponents.
She denies any wrongdoing and a Spanish prosecutor last month asked the investigating judge to close the case, which was brought by far-right groups.
Organizers said 80,000 people took part in the protest. The Spanish government representative in Madrid put the number at about 40,000.
Reporting by Graham Keeley, Michael Gore
Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Friday dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government, a move that risks deepening uncertainty in a country already grappling with a debt crisis and drawn-out talks with the International Monetary Fund.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered to forge a new relationship between the U.S. and Cuba on Wednesday in a video message to the Cuban people, proposing $100 million in aid and blaming Cuba's leaders for shortages of electricity, food and fuel.
The conservative People's Party won the election in Spain's southern Andalusia region but lost its absolute majority, results showed on Monday, forcing it to forge an alliance with far-right party Vox to remain in power.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
