Thousands of people gathered on Sunday in Madrid's central Plaza de España to protest against the government in a demonstration organised by the Popular Party (PP). Under the slogan “Mafia or democracy”, the PP called on citizens to “mobilise” against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez following the scandal surrounding the WhatsApp messages of socialist activist Leire Díez and the alleged cases of corruption plaguing his term in office.
"We are here to defend our country and democratic dignity", opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said in his speech. "Spain is tired, but it has not given up. Today we are here (...) so that you can speak loud and clear to the president who is hiding; here is a country that is not doing so (...) we are not going to remain silent", he added.
In conclusion, he called on Sánchez to clear the way for fresh elections to be held.
The rally, which began at 11:00 local time, also featured speeches by the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and was attended by former presidents José María Aznar and Mariano Rajoy.
According to the Popular Party, some 100,000 people took part in Sunday's protest, although the Government Delegation in Madrid put the number of attendees at around 50,000.
