Tempers were running high, and finally, a spark lit the fuse. The National Police have carried out several charges against some of the protesters who have occupied strategic locations such as Gran Vía, Callao, and Castellana, carrying Palestinian flags. These are not the only protest groups deployed in Madrid. A large mass of protesters has dispersed throughout the center of the capital with a single objective: to seize the last opportunity and"boycott" the Vuelta a España in its final stage, as a form of protest against the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team.

Tensions reached such a point that some cyclists, before the race was stopped, even clashed with protesters, causing significant danger to the athletes. In a video that is starting to go viral on social media, a member of the public can even be seen knocking a UAE team athlete off his bike.

All on a Sunday that dawned with a message from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, where he expressed his"absolute recognition and respect for the athletes, but also our admiration for a people like the Spanish who mobilize for just causes like Palestine."

In addition to the frustrated faces of some cyclists, such as that of the winner of the Vuelta, the Danish Jonas Vingegaard - who is missing out on his moment of glory in Madrid -, the day is leaving some images that are far from sport, such as protesters fervently jumping over several protective fences, already lying on the ground, uttering chants such as"You, Zionists, are the terrorists."

Too many hot spots in a capital that has been dyed in the colors of the Palestinian flag. In the center of Madrid, with a serious face, its mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, also resigned himself, shaking his head upon learning of the outcome of this competition and stating that"today violence has triumphed over sport." For her part, Isabel Díaz Ayuso finds it"intolerable" that Sánchez "throws fire" at the situation of the Vuelta Ciclista: "We must protest freely, but not coerce cyclists. This goes against sport and freedom."

In addition to chanting songs like "Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people!" and "Palestine will win," protesters burned American and Israeli flags at various points in the capital. As a counter-demonstration, around a dozen people also gathered with Spanish and Israeli flags. Interestingly, the capital's bazaars have seen Palestinian flags and symbols sell out in recent days, making a killing.

"Together we have stopped the Vuelta Ciclista to say enough to the Israeli genocide, to show that we are not complicit in the genocide that Israel is carrying out against the Palestinians," says Ana (24), who has attended the protests with her friends to demonstrate against the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the competition. A few meters from the Paseo del Prado, the retired Juan celebrates that"stopping the race is a historic victory" that "sends a message against Israeli impunity."

The organizers of the Vuelta a España tried until the very last moment to bring the tournament to a conclusion. Throughout the afternoon, they made improvised and unannounced changes to try to prevent pro-Palestinian protests on the route to the center of Madrid. Ultimately, all attempts were in vain, despite the fact that the security deployment was more extensive than during the NATO Summit in Madrid, with 1,100 national police officers deployed to prevent incidents like those yesterday, Saturday, when a group of around 100 protesters disrupted the penultimate stage of the Vuelta with a sit-in 18 kilometers from the finish.

Already at four in the afternoon, well before the platoon arrived in the capital, hundreds of people chanted"It's not a war, it's a genocide!", while the police checked the flagpoles to verify that no dangerous objects were inside.

"Out, out, out," were the resounding cries on Paseo del Prado, while a sit-in protest in support of Palestine took place near the Plaza del Reina Sofía. Flags in support of Palestine not only flooded Atocha but also spread throughout the rest of the city, especially at points where protests had also been called by the Palestinian Committee of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), among other social movements.

Around the Cibeles and Paseo del Prado, there are also a large number of people carrying the Palestinian flag while chanting"Netanyahu murderer" as the organization's cars pass by.