Spanish police strike pro-Palestine protesters with batons during La Vuelta

OVIEDO, Spain

Spanish police struck pro-Palestine protesters with batons during La Vuelta, a major Spanish cycling race, on Friday.

Just as the fastest cyclists were about to begin the grueling climb up the port of L’Angliru in the Asturias region, a group of protesters cut the road.

Police cleared them out, pushing some and striking others with batons. One of the protesters was already on the ground when beaten.

Commentators for the race on Spain’s public broadcaster said the spectators were protesting “against the participation of the Israeli team in La Vuelta due to the horrific genocide being suffered by the Palestinian people.”

The incident caused around a 30-second delay for the cyclists in the lead.

Earlier Friday, another group of pro-Palestine protesters tried to disrupt the race around the town of Llanes in Asturias.

On Wednesday, protesters in the Basque city of Bilbao forced the race to be cut short as they overwhelmed the streets 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) away from the finish line. The previous day’s race was also disrupted.

Spanish ministers back protesters

Spanish ministers have also spoken out against the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team, which is owned by billionaire Sylvan Adams, an ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Thursday, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he supported expelling the team to “send a message” to Israel that their participation in sports tournaments cannot continue “as if nothing were happening.” However, the Spanish government does not have the power to expel the team.

“I am very proud to be the foreign minister of a country that shows solidarity, that does not tolerate barbarism, that mobilizes to stop this massacre we are seeing in Gaza,” Albares told Anadolu.

Adams calls protesters terrorists

In an interview with Israeli publication Sport 5 on Friday, the team’s owner called the protesters in the Basque Country “terrorists.”

“We had two very difficult days in the Basque Country. The region is known as a stronghold of extreme left-wing activists and separatists who like to protest. They’re not our friends, that’s for sure,” Adams said, citing the now-defunct Basque terrorist group ETA.

However, the protests have continued in Asturias, where the race will go on Saturday. Afterward, La Vuelta will travel to Galicia, Castile and Leon, and the Madrid region. It is set to conclude in Madrid, which has already hosted several large protests against the genocide, on Sept. 14.

Adams said the Amaury Sport Organization, which organizes La Vuelta, asked the Israeli team to leave the race.

“But I told them I wasn’t going to do it. If we give up, it’s not just the end of our team, but of all the other teams,” he said. “Tomorrow they will demonstrate against the teams from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Astana. There is no end to the boycotts. I told them that they were wrong and that we had the right to stay.”

The billionaire added that he had received strong support from International Cycling Federation President David Lappartient.