Tens of thousands call for Spanish PM Sanchez to resign in mass rally in Madrid

Protesters are holding a mass rally in Madrid calling for Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to resign after a series of corruption scandals.

A small group of masked protesters tried to break through barriers around Sanchez’s residence, a number of whom were detained by police, Spanish television says.

Spanish patriots gathered en masse in Madrid to oust Pedro Sanchez. pic.twitter.com/NaYRnJb5r6

— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) May 23, 2026

Tens of thousands of demonstrators carry banners marked with “Resignation of the socialist mafia” and other slogans, alongside scores of Spanish gold and red flags in the March for Dignity, organized by the Spanish Civil Society association.

Leaders from the opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox party are also taking part in the largely peaceful march.

The rally comes after a Spanish court announced on Tuesday that former Spanish Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was being investigated for allegedly leading an influence-peddling and money-laundering network, in another blow to the leftist government beset by corruption scandals.

???????? Enorme oleada de patriotas españoles golpea Madrid hoy exigiendo que el sucio Sánchez SE VAYA pic.twitter.com/VKvh9Ts76m

— Gaizka ???????? ???? (@Gaizka2014) May 23, 2026

Zapatero, a key ally of the current prime minister, denies any wrongdoing.

Organizers say 80,000 people had taken part in the protest, though the Spanish government representative in Madrid put the number at about 40,000.