Thousands of people rallied in Madrid on Saturday to demand the resignation of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following a series of corruption scandals.
The protests were called by the Spanish Civil Society Association, which said around 80,000 people took part, far more than the government estimate of 40,000. Leaders of the opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party also participated.
The rally was largely peaceful, although television footage showed that a small group of protesters tried to break through barriers around Sánchez’s official residence.
Police said three people have been arrested. At least seven police officers were injured in clashes with protesters.
Corruption allegations against Sanchez’s inner circle
A Spanish court announced on Tuesday that former Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero had been placed under criminal investigation on corruption charges, a development that has again rocked the country.
Zapatero has been a key ally of Sanchez in recent years, and the court decision dealt a blow to the coalition led by Sanchez’s Socialist Party. The news follows corruption cases involving Sánchez’s family and members of his administration.
Last month, Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, was charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business deals and misappropriation of funds.
Gómez has denied the allegations, and Sánchez has dismissed the accusations as a right-wing attempt to weaken his coalition.
Sanchez’s younger brother, David Sanchez, is also scheduled to go on trial this month on influence peddling charges. David Sanchez denies any wrongdoing.
Edited by: Louis Olofse