Thousands of people gathered this Saturday afternoon in Madrid’s Plaza de Colón and the surrounding streets. The “For a Constitutional Spain” platform had called for a demonstration to protest against President Pedro Sánchez and urge him to call early elections. “Sánchez has brought us even more insecurity on the streets. We are here to resist,” declared Marcos de Quinto, a member of the platform and former leader of Ciudadanos, who spoke at the podium. Leading figures from the PP, including parliamentary speaker in Congress Miguel Tellado and MP Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, were also present.
“The government is not up to date and should resign immediately. It must reconsider its actions, call elections, and let the Spaniards decide Spain’s future,” Tellado told the media before the event.
Numerous Spanish constitutional flags were visible among the audience, and some held signs referring to the Basic Law. “He has to go, if only for his lies, and he can be made a real bastard,” shouted a demonstrator in his 70s upon arrival. Slogans like “Traitor, resign!” and “Pedro Sánchez, son of a bitch!” echoed among those gathered.
Así está la plaza de Colón en estos momentos #Madrid pic.twitter.com/2xWASGqZqC
— Patricia Rodríguez (@patriciardguezc) May 10, 2025
“The opposition can no longer pretend nothing has happened,” said De Quinto, calling on the PP and Vox members present to join the call. The former head of government also criticized the government’s environmental policies following the blackout and condemned the destruction of infrastructure such as dams and nuclear power plants.
Alejo Vidal Cuadras, the founder of Vox, addressed those present in a video shown during the event. “We have a common goal: to usher in a new era in our history, one that our nation will emerge from after seven years of a president acting out of personal interest. Demanding elections is a national necessity, a poetic and ethical imperative,” he emphasized.
The rain that threatened the gathering fell only sporadically, creating the image of dozens of open umbrellas displaying the Spanish flag. “The leftists want to keep all the money for themselves,” shouted another demonstrator, while slogans such as “Long live Spain!” and “Long live freedom!” could be heard. In the distance, two dolls of Sánchez and his wife, Begoña Gómez, could be seen hovering above the crowd.
