This week, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Madrid and other Spanish cities over the controversial Socialists’ attempt to gain power.
In the general elections of July, the Socialists came in second place behind the conservative People’s Party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, however, failed to form a coalition government during an investiture vote held in September. He received only the support from the extreme right Vox party.
The Socialist Party formed a coalition with separatists in Catalonia. In exchange for this alliance, however, the Socialists granted amnesty to the separatists for their actions during the 2017 secession attempt. The Socialist leader called an amnesty of this kind “unconstitutional” in the past. It looked as if he did all this to gain power.
Many Spaniards were not happy with the Socialist Party’s amnesty and the acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
🇪🇸 #Spain‘s acting Prime Minister, Pedro #Sanchez from the #Socialist party, has agreed to an #amnesty deal with #Catalan separatists.
The deal is #controversial, sparking #protests from far-right #nationalists in the country.
Watch our #report for more 👇 🔊 pic.twitter.com/OtkLzKLEcE
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) November 10, 2023
France24 called the protesters far-right nationalists, which was hilarious. How could the people be so upset by a move that resembled a coup to subvert their will? They call everyone on the right “far right”. I don’t think that only the right-wingers are unhappy with the events here.
Assassination attempts against former right-wing leader Alejo Vidal Quadras could cause things to blow up even more. A person on a motorbike wearing a black helmet shot him in the face in a Madrid city street after Vidal Quadras posted a message on X opposing the amnesty agreement.
Ya se ha acordado el infame pacto entre Sánchez y Puigdemont que tritura en España el Estado de Derecho y acaba con la separación de poderes. Nuestra Nación dejará asà de ser una democracia liberal para convertirse en una tiranÃa totalitaria. Los españoles no lo permitiremos.
— Alejo Vidal-Quadras (@VidalQuadras) November 9, 2023
Vidal-Quadras was a former leader of the conservative People’s Party but later joined the right-wing Vox Party. In a surprising twist, the suspects may not be just leftists.
It appears that the police are still reviewing the video and witness statements, but they don’t seem to have any clues about the case.
Vidal-Quadras raised to the police the possibility that the attempted murder of him could have an Iranian connection since he was on their radar because he spoke out for the Iranian Opposition. Iran had imposed sanctions against him in the past for his efforts.
The Gregorio-Maranon General Hospital in Madrid said that four hours after the shooting the bullet fractured Vidal Quadras’s jawbone. He would be undergoing surgery. The hospital said that the politician’s condition was stable and that his life was not at risk.
It’s not clear who it was, but an attack of this magnitude can only worsen the situation in a nation already engulfed in chaos.
