Pro-Palestine protests halt the final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race

The Spanish capital, Madrid, witnessed an unprecedented event on Sunday in the history of the "La Vuelta" cycling race, as the twenty-first and final stage of the eightieth edition was definitively halted, 56 kilometers before the finish line, following the invasion of pro-Palestine demonstrators onto the race course, according to the organizers.

The race, which lasted three weeks, had faced near-daily disruptions due to a wave of escalating protests in several Spanish and European cities in support of the Palestinian cause, which repeatedly affected the progress of the stages.

With the cancellation of the final stage, no winner will be crowned, and Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard is considered the official winner of the race after leading the overall standings.

The protests, which were mostly peaceful, came in the context of a wide European campaign in solidarity with the Palestinians, and saw significant public participation, especially in Madrid and Barcelona, where demonstrators raised slogans calling for an end to the war on Gaza and condemned the participation of Israeli sports teams in international competitions.