Thousands of people, 15,000 according to data from the Government Delegation, went to Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles this Saturday to demand the resignation of the president, Pedro Sánchez, and protest against the amnesty for those involved in the ‘procés’. The demonstration was attended by leaders of the PP, Vox and Ciudadanos, as well as other well-known faces of the opposition to the Government, such as the former leader of UPyD, Rosa Díez, and the former vice president of the European Parliament Alejo Vidal-Quadras.
The rally, called by more than a hundred associations and civic forums, such as Foro Libertad y Alternativa, Neos, Denaes, S’ha Finish or Libertad Sin Ira, under the motto ‘There are no more reasons, Sánchez resigns!’, comes after that the amnesty law has taken a new step in its processing this week.
The conveners have focused on “the political, institutional and social deterioration that Spain is suffering since Sánchez is president.” They believe that this “deterioration threatens to reach a point of no return” and can “drag the country into a prolonged period of severe decline” that “puts at risk” democracy, the well-being of citizens, public peace and the survival of Spain.
Among others, the PP spokesperson in the European Parliament, Dolors Montserrat, attended; the deputy secretary of Health and Education of the PP, Ester Muñoz; the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal; the general secretary of Ciudadanos, Adrián Vázquez, and the ‘orange’ political spokesperson, Jordi Cañas. In addition, the former president of the Community of Madrid Esperanza Aguirre made an appearance; Ciudadanos MEP Maite Pagazaurtundúa; and the former ‘orange’ deputy Marcos de Quinto.
All of them have accompanied the protesters, who, defying the bad weather and carrying the Spanish and European flags, have chanted songs such as “Sánchez, to prison”, “Sánchez liar and traitor” or “No to amnesty”.
The PP has stressed that “it will always be fighting on all fronts” against the amnesty law agreed by the Government with ERC and Junts, both on the institutional front and in the courts and in the European Union.
The Deputy Secretary of Health and Education of the PP has highlighted that the amnesty law “only benefits two citizens in Spain, Carles Puigdemont and Pedro Sánchez” and that due to this fact, the PP “will always be accompanying all the demonstrations organized by the civil society”. She added that Spaniards already know what responses the Popular Party is giving, both in the Cortes Generales and in the European institutions.
The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, has ironically commented on the presence of the Popular Party at the demonstration and has stated that “what is frankly surprising is that the PP is here today with the Spaniards, with the people, and on Wednesday it is in Brussels with (Félix) Bolaños (Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts).
“I don’t know if Mr. Pons will be here or if he is already taking the plane to Brussels. What is surprising is this permanent scam that only creates confusion. For our part, we are not going to offer any truce to this Government, we are going to being in the streets, we are going to be in court,” Abascal told the media.
For their part, Ciudadanos MEPs, Adrián Vázquez and Jordi Cañas, have criticized that the amnesty law is “corruption” and have announced that they are going to try to make it “derail” in Europe and will ask for an emergency meeting next week of the Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourová, and the Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders.
Vázquez, who has anticipated that as soon as the law is approved in the Congress of Deputies it will be “the beginning of the end of the Sánchez Government”, has pointed out that they will ask the European Commission, through the plenary session of the European Parliament, to initiate a sanction procedure against Spain and that he will visit the judges of the Court of Justice of the European Union to convey to them the “barbarity” that is being committed against the rule of law, democracy and Spanish citizens.
THE BAND OF TRAITORS WILL NOT PREVAIL
The most anticipated intervention has been that of Vidal-Quadras. Applauded with cries of “brave” and with difficulty speaking due to the assassination attempt he suffered on November 9, he has denounced the “betrayal” of the Transition that, in his opinion, Pedro Sánchez’s mandate represents. “Indescribable infamy for which the authors will have to answer one day before the Spanish people,” he stated.
“We demand a true alternative to the nightmare that lives in La Moncloa,” he indicated, and the protesters responded that “only Vox remains.” “That is why we will continue fighting and proclaiming that Spain will endure and the band of traitors, disloyal, sectarians and criminals will not prevail,” he stated. He has also alluded to immigration or, as he has denounced, the “insecurity” in the streets.
The spokesperson for Libertad Sin Ira, Diego Yáñez, and the spokesperson for the professional association Justice for the Civil Guard (Jucil), Agustín Leal, have also addressed the crowd, and there have been mentions of the Civil Guard agents murdered in Barbate (Cádiz) and the 11M attacks. Likewise, a “permanent mobilization” against the Government has been requested.
