Outraged by the abolition of the crime of hate speech and a law against sexual violence, the Spanish right and extreme right demonstrated this Saturday against the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez.
Part of Spain is venting its anger on the streets. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated this Saturday in Madrid with the support of the right-wing opposition and the extreme right against the left-wing government. Participants, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, called for Pedro Sanchez to resign, with some showing a portrait of the socialist prime minister crossed out with the words “traitor”.
According to estimates by the central government delegation in the Spanish capital, around 30,000 people took part in the rally on Cibeles Square in Madrid. Organized at the call of right-wing civil society organizations, the demonstration received the support of the People’s Party (PP), the main opposition party, and the far-right Vox party. In 2023, general elections must be held in the country to elect MPs and most of the senators.
The right is outraged by the government’s decision to abolish the offense of sedition, the main charge against nine Catalan pro-independence leaders who were jailed for their role in Catalonia’s attempted secession in 2017. This offense of incitement to hatred was replaced by another offense punishable by lesser prison sentences.
Parliamentary elections at the end of the year
Conservatives also criticize a sexual violence law that increases penalties for rape while reducing penalties for other sex offenses. Speaking to the press at the start of the rally, Vox leader Santiago Abascal denounced “the worst government in history” that “divided Spaniards and freed rapists and putschists”.
PP President Alberto Nunez Feijóo, who has been trying to move the PP towards the center since taking office in April, did not attend the rally but encouraged PP members to attend. Most polls give the PP the victory in general elections scheduled for later this year, but also show that the Conservatives will need Vox’s support to govern. Local and regional elections are also scheduled for May.
Without a parliamentary majority, Pedro Sánchez’s government has been forced since its formation to negotiate with the Basque and Catalan separatists to pass its laws, arousing the ire of the right. The Conservatives accuse Pedro Sanchez of suppressing the offense of sedition to secure support for the Catalan pro-independence party ERC in Parliament. The government replies that this outdated legal provision should be replaced with another one that is more in line with European standards.