Sánchez booed at Spain’s National Day parade as tensions spread to Madrid’s Puerta del Sol

Later, police intervened in the capital’s central Puerta del Sol to separate housing campaigners from groups arriving after the parade, some carrying flags with Francoist and Falange symbols. An initially verbal confrontation escalated, with reports of objects being thrown and one arrest. ALSO READ: Vigils and protests in Madrid after death of housing campaign symbol Maricarmen.

Sánchez arrived at the official viewing stand near the Neptune Fountain shortly before King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. He briefly greeted Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the capital’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, before joining the reception for the royal family.

Hostile shouting continued during the formal greetings. Although booing of Sánchez has become a recurring feature of the annual ceremony, this year’s event came just a week after he called a snap general election for 29 November following parliament’s rejection of the government’s housing measures. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez calls a general election in Spain for 29 November.

Royal ceremony and military parade

The royal family presided over the celebrations alongside Defence Minister Margarita Robles, senior military commanders, government ministers and regional leaders. The People’s Party (PP) opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also attended.

Felipe VI wore military uniform, as did Princess Leonor, who briefly dropped her Order of the Golden Fleece insignia during the arrival proceedings before retrieving it.

More than 4,300 personnel from the armed forces, National Police, Guardia Civil and other public services took part in the parade, which followed the Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Recoletos towards Plaza de Colón. The deployment included 82 aircraft, alongside military vehicles, mounted units and troops on foot.

A parachute descent carrying the Spanish flag provided one of the ceremony’s main spectacles, with José Antonio Lago landing close to the royal stand. The flag-raising and tribute to those who died serving Spain preceded the aerial and ground displays.

Clear weather allowed the flying programme to proceed, following weather-related disruption in previous years. Among the familiar crowd favourites were the Legion’s fast-marching soldiers, accompanied by their goat mascot, Babieca.

Ceuta and the election dominate political exchanges

The situation in Ceuta was a prominent theme throughout the day, ahead of the royals’ visits to Ceuta and Melilla beginning on Tuesday. The royal trip is intended as a show of support following the mass arrival of migrants at the end of July. ALSO READ: Ceuta clears El Guano migrant camp ahead of royal visit, as pressure on reception centres persists.

Ceuta president Juan Jesús Vivas and Melilla president Juan José Imbroda attended the celebrations, with several regional leaders expressing solidarity with Vivas.

Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal stayed away from the Madrid ceremony for a second consecutive year, choosing instead to travel to Ceuta. Beforehand, he accused the government of betraying Spain and abandoning the border.

Following the parade, the royal family hosted the traditional National Day reception at Madrid’s Royal Palace. This year’s guests included representatives of the institutions, businesses and wider communities of Ceuta and Melilla.

Speaking informally to journalists, Sánchez dismissed opinion polls suggesting that the PP and Vox could together secure a parliamentary majority in the forthcoming election, He described the socialists (PSOE) as mobilised and promised an upbeat election campaign. ALSO READ: Spain’s Ceuta crisis: Polls show widespread disapproval of Sánchez as PP and Vox pass 50%.

‘We are going to run a positive campaign; fear does not win elections,’ he said. 

Sánchez also argued that the PP was losing substantial support to Vox by adopting its positions, and said he detected public mobilisation against investment funds involved in housing rather than against his government. ALSO READ: PP and Vox strike third regional ‘national priority’ pact to form government in Castilla y León.

Feijóo, meanwhile, said he would fight for every vote and maintained that the PP’s internal polling did not put it below the 137 seats it won in 2023. ALSO READ: PP-Vox agreement sees Juanma Moreno secure a third term as Andalusian leader.

He identified housing as a central government failure and left open the possibility of agreements with Vox, while insisting on his party’s independence. ALSO READ: Spain’s main opposition party, the PP, open to working with far-right Vox if elected.

Police separate rival groups in Puerta del Sol

After the parade, attention shifted to the Puerta del Sol, where housing activists have maintained an anti-eviction encampment.

Groups gathering near the camp shouted insults at Sánchez and slogans including ‘Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta must be defended’ and ‘Spain is Christian, not Muslim’. Journalists were also targeted with accusations that the Spanish press manipulated its coverage.

Alongside Spanish flags, some participants carried Francoist or Falange emblems. Housing protesters, some holding Palestinian and Spanish Republican flags, responded with chants including ‘Fascists out of our neighbourhoods’.

National Police established a cordon, using officers and vans to keep the groups apart, while people around the encampment formed a human chain to protect the tents.

Later reporting described eggs and other objects being thrown towards the camp, as well as fascist salutes by some of those confronting the protesters. Police moved members of the arriving groups towards adjoining streets. 

RTVE subsequently reported one detention for an alleged offence against a police officer. Many participants had been dispersed after more than an hour of tension, while housing campaigners continued guarding the encampment.