Spain: Over 170,000 protest socialist power grab

Over 170,000 Spaniards Saturday gathered in Madrid to protest a power grab by the country’s socialist party.

Pedro Sánchez, leader of the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party (PSOE), secured himself another four-year term last week as Spain’s prime minister even though the Right-wing People’s Party (PP) won the election in June.

But PP failed to build a large enough coalition with other parties to gain the minimum number of seats in Parliament to form a government. Instead, Sánchez, who has served as prime minister since 2018, has succeeded where PP failed by forming a contentious alliance with Catalan separatists.

In 2017 approximately 400 members of the Junts Party were exiled to Brussels after declaring Catalonia independent from Spain. The secession failed and the party’s members — who collectively held seven seats in Parliament — were banished after being charged with sedition. 

In a deeply controversial move, Sánchez offered Junts leaders amnesty in exchange for their votes, which gave the socialist PSOE the seats it needed to form a new government.

Negotiations between PSOE and Junts last month set off widespread protests in Madrid and other cities. The demonstrations have sometimes turned violent amid clashes with police. Saturday’s protest marked the fifteenth straight day of demonstrations.

Protesters included reporter Tucker Carlson, who marched alongside members of the PP and Vox, another Right-wing party. 

In an interview with Vox leader Santiago Abascal which Carlson posted to X Friday, the reporter registered his surprise to learn whom Sánchez first met with immediately after becoming prime minister.

“One of the things that Spain has in common with other Western countries that are becoming less democratic is the involvement of George Soros, who is a major player in Spanish politics. Why would George Soros, who is not Spanish, has no connection to Spain that I’m aware of, be involved to the degree he is in Spanish politics?” Carlson asked Abascal.

“George Soros is Hungarian,” Abascal replied. “Not only is he unloved in Hungary, he’s not well regarded in other countries around the world, because he tries to exert his influence. George Soros was the first person to meet with the President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, when he was elected. I questioned Pedro Sánchez instead —”

“I’m sorry, George Soros was the first person to meet with the newly elected Left-wing Spanish president? George Soros?” Carlson asked in surprise.

“Exactly,” Abascal said. “That’s the news that was published in Spain and the government has denied it. When I questioned President Sánchez about that meeting he never answered before Parliament, he has never answered clearly. They admire people like that. There is this curious alliance between the extreme left and global[ist] multi-millionaires. It is a strange alliance for this Left-wing that has been anti-globalization but which now joins forces with the multi-millionaires who want to rule the world, and want to tell us how to live our lives while they live like kings.”