Tension in Granada: Abascal Incited Supporters Against Antifascist Protesters
The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, urged his followers to advance towards a group of protesters, leading to police charges.
By Inmaculada Reyes Aguilar
••2 min read
IA
Generic image of a crowd in a square with emergency lights in the background.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal was at the center of a tense pre-campaign event in Granada last Thursday, where he encouraged his supporters to confront antifascist protesters, resulting in police intervention.
The event, held in Granada's Plaza de las Pasiegas, was delayed due to an antifascist demonstration organized just a hundred meters away, on Pie de la Torre street, protesting against the party's “hate speech.”
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"This event will not begin until these individuals are expelled and allow us to carry out this event in peace and tranquility. The head of the police operation, who takes orders from the government delegate, should know that we will advance down that street until they leave and we can hold this event in peace. We will wait for them to be expelled, and if they are not expelled, we will walk down that street, I will be the first, until they leave."
Following these statements, Abascal moved towards Pie de la Torre street, which led to moments of high tension, with shouts of protest and red paint being thrown. The situation escalated when Vox supporters themselves charged against the antifascists, and the Police were overwhelmed trying to contain both groups.
Before the incidents, Abascal criticized the Government Delegation for “allowing an act of harassment” and called it an “electoral crime.” He compared the security at his event with what, he claimed, is provided to President Pedro Sánchez during his travels.
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"Something that should not be happening at an electoral event is happening here. An electoral crime is taking place. At this moment, the Ministry of Interior is preventing us from speaking and holding this democratic event. When Sánchez walks through Spain, he does so with security cordons from Marlaska, kilometers and kilometers long."
The political party has stated that the simultaneous scheduling of both gatherings in such a central and confined space, next to Granada Cathedral, required a more extensive security deployment. The final outcome of the police intervention was one arrest for assaulting an officer with a flag pole, and several individuals identified.
