Amnesty International denounces the criminalization of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Spain

Eduardo González Amnesty International (AI) has denounced the criminalization of demonstrations in support of Palestinian rights in Spain, both at sporting events, such as basketball games or the Vuelta a España cycling race, and at other activities. “In Spain, displaying a Palestinian flag at a basketball game, sitting down on a road during a stage of the Vuelta a España, or participating in a protest in the context of a sporting event can result in a fine of thousands of euros and, in some cases, even tens of thousands,” the organization stated this week in a press release. “The mere act of protesting can also lead to arrest, criminal proceedings, or a police charge with batons and pepper spray,” it continued. The most recent example was the police action during the Climbing World Cup held in Alcobendas (Madrid) from May 28 to 31, in the context of protests against the participation of the Israeli team. “An observation team deployed by Amnesty International witnessed how National Police officers identified and threatened activists with sanctions under the Law against Intolerance and Racism in Sport for chanting slogans in solidarity with Palestine,” the organization stated. “They also prevented the use of umbrellas for sun protection because they displayed the colors of the Palestinian flag,” it added. Furthermore, some attendees at the event heckled and even assaulted pro-Palestinian activists, “with the police response consisting of identifying the very people who had been attacked,” it lamented. Also recently, on Saturday, May 23, activists from the Global Summud Flotilla, who had been intercepted in international waters by Israel and who reported abuses during their detention in Israel, “suffered unjustified police violence upon arrival at Bilbao airport,” the organization stated. It specified that “officers of the Ertzaintza (Basque Police) used excessive force, repeatedly striking people with batons even after they had been knocked to the ground.” “These are not isolated incidents, but rather a reflection of a structural problem that has persisted for more than a decade,” Amnesty International warned. The organization asserted that it has documented “at least 95 cases of violations of the right to protest in the context of pro-Palestinian demonstrations held in Spain since October 2023.” “Restrictions on freedom of expression, demonstration, and peaceful assembly,” Amnesty International denounced, “restrictions remain in force in Spain through the Citizen Security Law—known as the ‘gag law’—and certain articles of the Penal Code.” Furthermore, “in recent years, these restrictions have been exacerbated by a new phenomenon: the application of the law against violence in sports to punish peaceful protests, especially in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian population,” the organization warned. The Vuelta a España According to Amnesty International, “since October 2023, carrying a Palestinian flag has been enough to be expelled from stadiums or sports venues and even sanctioned.” “What began as isolated incidents has become a more widespread practice, in which a rule designed to prevent violence, racism, or xenophobia in sport is being used to restrict peaceful political expression,” the organization denounced. The most significant case, it recalled, occurred during the 2025 Vuelta a España. “Throughout various stages, activists and citizens mobilized to protest the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team and to denounce the genocide in Gaza,” but “the authorities’ response was forceful,” it asserted. “At least 30 people have been arrested and 108 face disciplinary proceedings, 91 of which are based on the law against violence in sport. The sanctions already imposed illustrate the punitive scope of this response: 27 fines of €300 in Ponferrada; five fines of €3,000; and one fine of €60,000 in Pontevedra,” Amnesty International stated. Furthermore, according to Amnesty International, the application of this law has not been limited to cycling. In Valencia, five activists were sanctioned for protests related to basketball games against Israeli teams, with fines ranging from €1,500 to €5,000 under the Law Against Intolerance in Sport. This occurred in a context where a peaceful demonstration ended with police charges, the use of tear gas, and arrests. One of these activists was also fined 600 percent under the Public Safety Law (known as the Gag Law) for the offense of disobedience. This pattern, according to Amnesty International, is repeated outside the sports arena. At the University of Seville, on June 11, 2024, students participating in a peaceful sit-in to demand the severing of academic ties with Israeli institutions were evicted by the police, and one of them is awaiting trial, facing a potential two-year prison sentence. More recently, the Government Delegation in Madrid fined twelve people 700 percent under the Public Safety Law (known as the "Gag Law") for staging a performance outside the Madrid Arms Fair in May 2025 to highlight their opposition to the military industry. Also in Madrid, during a protest outside the Egyptian embassy in July 2025, several people were arrested after a police intervention that included pushing and shoving of protesters, some of whom were elderly. According to Amnesty International, “these cases reveal a worrying pattern: acts of non-violent civil disobedience are being treated as serious infractions or even crimes, when they are simply the exercise of human rights by those involved.”

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