Anti-Israel protests turn the Spanish Vuelta cycling race into a diplomatic battleground

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – As an alderperson in northwestern Spain, Rosana Prieto tends to the running of her tiny village and is far removed from major cities, often rocked by protests over geopolitical issues. But with one of the world’s biggest cycling races coursing through the bucolic hills nearby, she and hundreds of like-minded townspeople sensed a chance to make their small voices heard, denouncing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Palestinian flags in hand, they stood precisely where they knew the television cameras would broadcast their message to the world: the last turn before the finish line of the 15th stage, as cyclists of the Spanish Vuelta whirred past. Further up the road, a protester carrying a Palestinian flag got too close to the speeding peloton and caused a pair of cyclists to crash.

Protests targeting an Israeli-owned team have repeatedly seized the limelight at the Vuelta, Spain’s version of the Tour de France, in which over 180 cyclists pedal 3,100 kilometers (1,900 miles) through rural Spain’s sleepy back-roads. Six of the last 10 days of racing have been either cut short or interrupted, with over 20 people detained by police.

Israel’s 23-month military grind into Palestinian territory, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, deadly attack on Israel, had already enraged many Spaniards, including its outspoken left-wing government. The protests on the sidelines of the Vuelta have earned the government’s tacit endorsement and catalyzed nudging it toward staking out one of the strongest positions against Israel of any European nation since the sustained military operation began.

“The protests were born from the idea that our only chance to defend human rights regarding Israel is the Spanish Vuelta,” Prieto, 48, told The Associated Press by phone. “It is an international spotlight for us to say that we are against what Israel is doing.”

Israel has defended its military actions in Gaza and accused Spain of standing with Hamas.

The war has so far killed at least 64,803 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the territory’s health ministry, as famine grips its largest city.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez joined Ireland and Norway in recognizing a Palestinian state last year, and Spain became the first European country to ask a U.N. court for permission to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide.

The Vuelta protesters argue that if Russian teams have been banned from international sporting events for the war in Ukraine, then Israeli teams should likewise be punished.

Spain’s government agrees.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said he would support the Israeli-owned team’s expulsion from the race, while government spokesperson Pilar Alegría, who is also minister of sports and education, said neutrality is no longer possible in the face of the death and destruction in Gaza.

“What we are seeing at the protests, in my opinion, is logical,” Alegría told Cadena Ser radio on Sept. 11. “Sports cannot be isolated from the world that surrounds them.”

For the Vuelta’s security detail, it was logistically impossible to lock down the entire route through its twisting roads, much of which is lined by forest. Large groups have gathered in towns and protesters have jumped out of cover to block the path of riders, causing two athletes to crash, although it’s unclear if that was the protesters’ intention. Neither of the riders who crashed was on the Israeli team. The cyclists participating in the race voted Wednesday that they would quit if their safety was again put at risk.

The team under fire, Israel Premier Tech – which only has one Israeli rider at the Vuelta – issued a statement saying that quitting the race is out of the question, as it would “set a dangerous precedent.”

But Israel Premier Tech has been endeavoring to keep a low profile. Riders have avoided speaking to the media and it took the step midrace of removing its team name from its riding uniforms.

The team is owned by Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, who emigrated to Israel in 2016, and has played a key role in promoting Israel via sports. He helped arrange Israel’s hosting of the start of Giro d’Italia, cycling’s third Grand Tour race, in 2018.

“Great job to Sylvan and Israel’s cycling team for not giving in to hate and intimidation,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted to social media platform X on Sept. 5. “You make Israel proud!”

There have been occasional confrontations between police, security personnel, and protesters. Prieto said that she needed medical treatment for abrasions and knocks after a police officer dragged her across the ground. She said she and her cohorts behaved peacefully, and is waiting to see whether she faces charges.

Cycling teams have decried some protester actions. Joxean Fernández Matxin, the team boss of UAE Emirates, said that some of them hit riders with flag poles and tossed tacks in their path.

“Everyone has a right to protest, but it’s a shame that it has to happen here and in this way and that we can’t finish the race,” race leader Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, said after Wednesday’s stage finish was shortened.

Reigning Tour champion Tadej Pogačar skipped the Vuelta. Yet cycling’s biggest star was worried that the protests could spread to other races.

“I think all the riders are a little scared of what could happen,” Pogačar told reporters in Quebec Thursday. “When we see what’s going on at the Vuelta, we talk about it and we think it could happen here or in other races between now and the end of the season.”

The next day, a few dozen protesters gathered in the Canadian city of Quebec during a one-day race Pogačar participated in.

As the protests disrupted the Vuelta, a fleet of activists’ ships loaded with humanitarian aid set sail from Barcelona, aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Spain’s prime minister chose this week to denounce Israel’s operations in Gaza as “genocide” and make a nationally televised address announcing an arms embargo and blocking Israel-bound fuel deliveries from passing through Spanish ports.

The move inflamed a diplomatic dispute that resulted in the ban of ministers from both countries. Israeli leaders called the Spanish government’s actions “antisemitic” and a “blatant genocidal threat.”

If the protests gain strength, they could become a concern for Israel, which has long prided itself on its close relations with the European Union. The European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, this week called for partially suspending trade ties with Israel, and the Netherlands said it would boycott the popular Eurovision song contest next year if Israel is allowed to participate.

For analyst Oriol Bartomeus, professor of political science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Sánchez’s long campaign against Israel’s incursion in Gaza is both benefiting from and fueling the grassroots protest movement at the cycling race.

“What is happening at the Vuelta is a symptom of the anger of the left over this issue,” Bartomeus told the AP. “This is poised to be a major point of cohesion of Spanish society. Sánchez is not stupid, and he has gotten right in there.”

Protesters aim to take action again on Sunday, when the race concludes in Madrid. Authorities will deploy 1,500 police for the final stage, adding to the 130 officers already traveling with the race.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling