đŽ Spain and Israel Are Really Fighting Now
Plus: SĂĄnchez and FeijĂło join TikTok, the ex-King takes a Gatsby vacation, and and explosion in Vallecas.
Madrid | Issue #117
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No Vuelta for you!
đ”đž Eurovision, la Vuelta, and a street fight: Spain vs Israel, round 2
We need a therapist. Just when you thought Spainâs relationship with Israel couldnât get any worse, it did.
Back at it again. We honestly didnât think weâd be back here a week later (âŒïž), but Spain and Israel somehow managed to outdo themselves. The spats still boil down to Spain criticizing Israelâs war in Gaza and Israel hating it (natch). But wow, there were new ways to turn up the heat.
La Vuelta implodes. Spainâs beloved bike race (our own Tour de Spain!) was already touchy last week, when pro-Palestine demonstrators targeting the Israel-Premier Tech teamâowned by a close buddy of Netanyahuâforced organizers to cut short several stages. But Sundayâs grand finale in Madrid spiraled.
Turning up the heat. Some 100,000 protestors turned out (donât ask us how they counted đ€) in and around Madrid, where the triumphant finale was supposed to speed through the center in a whoosh of spandexed joy.
Things fall apart. Everything was fine (cue ominous music) until mid-afternoon, when a group of protestors unfurled a massive pro-Palestine sign to block the route 57 km from the finish. Others blocked Madridâs Castellana boulevard with crowd barriers and threw bottles in running skirmishes with police (two arrested; 22 police hurt).
No podium for you! Organizers pulled the plug â no triumphant sprint down Madridâs main drag, no podium ceremony at Cibeles city hall, no trophy moment for the Israeli teamâs wunderkind, set to receive an award as best young rider.
Big fan. Hours before, Prime Minister Pedro SĂĄnchez had used a PSOE rally in MĂĄlaga to salute âthe Spanish people who mobilize for just causes like Palestine.â
Cue Israeli fury. Israelâs Foreign Minister Gideon Saar was not exactly subtle in his response: "Yesterday, a pro-Palestinian mob sabotaged the Vuelta a España. They did so with the support and encouragement of the Spanish president. It's unbelievable. Mr. SĂĄnchez and his communist ministers encouraged the violence."
Cool podium, bro. Even Denmarkâs PM Mette Frederiksen scolded SĂĄnchez (a fellow socialist) after her compatriot Jonas Vingegaard had to celebrate victory in a hotel parking lot on a podium of overturned coolers. âMy Spanish colleague paid tribute to the bullies,â she snapped. âThe parliament of the street has nothing to do with democracy. They are destroying sport and, ultimately, democracy.â đĄ
The tit-for-tat doesnât stop there. On Tuesday, the board of RTVE (Spainâs national broadcaster) voted to boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel competes â Spain becoming the fifth country to take that line. That came a day after SĂĄnchez mused: Why was Russia expelled from competitions after invading Ukraine, but Israel isnât after invading Gaza? âUntil the barbarism ceases,â he said, âneither Russia nor Israel should participate in any further international competition.â
This not only made Eurovision fanatics sad. Israelâs Saar hit back with his usual subtlety: âSĂĄnchez and his Communist government are antisemites and enemies of the truth.â (Okay, comparing Russiaâs unprovoked invasion with Israelâs retaliation after Oct. 7 wasnât SĂĄnchezâs best logical leap. Still, Israelâs response since then⊠another story.)
Back in Spain. The center-right PP was absolutely furious at SĂĄnchez. Like, foaming at the mouth. And with both Madridâs mayor and regional president from the PP, sparks flew.
Madrid mayor JosĂ© Luis MartĂnez-Almeida was pissed. He called Sunday âone of the saddest days since I became mayor,â accusing SĂĄnchez of âcelebrating chaos as triumph.â He also again rejected using the word âgenocideâ for Gaza (because he says it only refers to the Holocaust).
Madrid regional presi Isabel DĂaz Ayuso was also very angry (letâs not forget the city and the region allocated almost âŹ400K to promote the Madrid brand that day).
Watch for the big finish. She accused SĂĄnchez of âstoking the flamesâ and demonizing âthe only liberal democracy in the Middle Eastâ. Then came the Ayuso flourish: She compared the scenes in Madrid to âthe pre-civil war atmosphereâ and to the siege of Sarajevo. (This part may have been overkill.)
Lastly, there was party leader Alberto NĂșñez FeijĂło. He backed Almeida and Ayuso, calling the governmentâs actions a failure of leadership, but added you can condemn Israelâs actions in Gaza âwithout being antisemiticâ â a gentler line than his Madrid lieutenants.
The SĂĄnchez team relished the outrage. Spokesperson Pilar AlegrĂa accused the PP of âequidistanceâ đ± on what she called Israelâs genocide and of criminalizing âmostly peacefulâ protests. Spaniards, she said, had become âthe voice of Europeâs conscience.â
And now, more controversy coming? Spanish King Felipe VI (F6), visiting Cairo, denounced the âunbearable humanitarian crisisâ in Gaza and âcountless innocent victimsâ of Israelâs response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Weâre waiting for Mr Saarâs response in 3, 2, 1âŠ
More news below. đđ
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đŹ Five things to discuss at dinner parties
1.đ€łđ» Bessent, SĂĄnchez, and FeijĂło: TikTokâs big week in Madrid
Itâs been a big week for TikTok in Spain â both on-screen and behind the scenes.
Prime Minister SĂĄnchez and PP boss NĂșñez FeijĂło finally joined the platform last week, accepting that if they want Gen Z votes (who slowly seem to be migrating towards the far right), they may need to lip-sync for them.
SĂĄnchez opened with a serious message about his Gaza sanctions on Israel â a somber debut for a space built on dances and memes. The Moncloaâs own account was lighter: promising Gen Zers a how-to on the presidential palaceâs workings and maybe some gossip, and featuring cameos from
troll-in-chiefTransport Minister Ăscar Puente. SĂĄnchez himself offered only a weary shrug. đ€·ââïž
FeijĂło, meanwhile, went cheeky. His first video was a montage of rivals name-dropping him, capped with: âÂżMolesto mucho? Pues ahora me vais a tener aquĂ.â. (âAm I annoying you? Well, now youâll be seeing me here.â) Weâre not sure calling yourself âannoyingâ in your first post is effective, but what do we know?
In a follow-up, he showcased his clashes with SĂĄnchez in Parliament, clearly positioning himself for viral political sparring (because apparently we didnât have enough of that?).
SĂĄnchez easily won the early days, hitting 45,000 followers by Wednesday night, compared to a mere 5,200 for FeijĂło. But their arrival underlines that TikTok is now an official battleground for Spainâs political youth.
And while Spainâs leaders were dancing for clicks, TikTokâs actual future was being hashed out in Madrid.
Big powers. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spent two days negotiating with Chinese officials over a âframework dealâ to keep TikTok alive in the U.S. â an attempt to dodge a looming ban. The broad terms are set, but the final say belongs to Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, who are expected to speak Friday.
So TikTok is no longer just where Spanish politics goes viral. Itâs also where geopolitics gets staged.
Oh, and in case you were wondering. Spainâs most followed political party on TikTok isnât PSOE or PP. Itâs Vox.
2. âïž Why did the other Manada just get a plea deal in its gang rape case?
Bad guys. Five men from Castelldefels, who called themselves the K-Team Manada Returns and idolized the Pamplona wolfpack (Manada) that shocked Spain with a gang rape during San FermĂn in 2016, admitted this week to raping three women in 2021, filming it, and sharing the videos on WhatsApp. And they walked away with a plea deal that slashed their potential cumulative sentences from 196 years to under 33.
The crimes were horrific. In spring 2021, in the middle of pandemic lockdowns, the group lured vulnerable women to a flat, got them drunk, and assaulted them once they were unable to resist. One victim was raped vaginally, anally, and orally. Another, while forced to perform oral sex, had a bottle pushed into her vagina. At least one suffered from a neurological condition that made her especially vulnerable. The men recorded the attacks and shared them with friends.
Their text chats left no doubt that they knew what they were doing â and they reveled in it. Their WhatsApp group (later renamed La Manada 2.0) even used a photo of a member of Pamplonaâs Manada as its icon. In messages, they bragged about hunting for victims, with one writing: âIâd pass you a number of a girl whoâs a slut and good-looking, but I donât trust her â sheâd report me.â
Prosecutors had sought staggering sentences, up to 53 years each. But after two weeks of negotiations, the men cut a deal: plead guilty, apologize, and pay around âŹ100,000 in compensation (âŹ30â38K per victim).
The deal. In exchange, their time behind bars dropped to between 3 years 11 months and 8 years 5 months. Four of the five were already in provisional detention, which now counts toward their reduced sentences. Their lawyers are already pushing for early release or semi-liberty.
Why would victims agree? According to prosecutors, putting them through testimony risked retraumatization. One woman is still battling PTSD, and a drawn-out trial might have collapsed altogether. The deal, grim as it looks, spared them that ordeal.
Their words. "The need to protect the victims, as well as their desire not to be re-victimized by subjecting them to the pressure of this trial, has weighed heavily," prosecutors said in a filing released Tuesday.
Still, the optics are brutal. Men who modeled themselves on Pamplonaâs rapists, who filmed their crimes and laughed about them, could soon be back on the street. For many Spaniards, itâs a reminder that even with tougher laws, âjusticeâ in sexual assault cases can feel like another assault.
3. đŁïž SĂĄnchez and Junts reach deal to confuse your customer service reps in Colombia
What did you say? The PSOE government and its frenemies in Junts per Catalunya have struck a deal that could force large companies across Spain to offer customer service in Catalan, Basque, and Galician whenever a client requests it.
Heading to Parliament. The requirement will be slipped into the upcoming Law on Customer Service, which hits parliamentary debate next week. It applies to firms with more than 250 employees or âŹ50 million in revenue â think banks, telcos, airlines, utilities, and streaming platforms.
Speak my language. Under the new rule, companies would have to reply in the same language a customer uses to complain, both verbally and in writing â regardless of where the company is based or where the call comes from.
Junts described the agreement as a âparadigm shiftâ that guarantees linguistic rights beyond the goodwill of companies.
Others might describe it another way. More like just another payment on the political mortgage SĂĄnchez took out with Junts to secure his investiture.
The SĂĄnchez government has been struggling to reach deals with Junts, the party led by (still) fugitive Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium after organizing the 2017 illegal independence referendum in Catalonia.
Warning đš. Puigdemont had warned that this autumn could mark a turning point in his partyâs relationship with SĂĄnchez â suggesting things could turn sour quickly if he doesnât get what he wants.
He wants? Stuff. Lots of stuff. For SĂĄnchezâs stalled amnesty bill to go into practice so he can return to his beloved
SpainCatalonia. For Catalonia to keep most if not all the national income tax collected in its territory. For the EU to recognize Catalan as an official language. ForâŠ
Business groups are not amused. They argue the measure will increase costs and bureaucracy for companies operating nationwide (while, really, not really helping many people except Catalan translators).
The CEOE employersâ confederation warned the law would hike costs and hurt competitiveness, especially in regions where Catalan and the other languages are barely spoken (AndalucĂa, looking at you).
Madridâs CEIM went further, calling the measure âunacceptableâ and accusing the government of âintroducing politics into business decisions.â
Now what? The amendment still has to survive parliamentary wrangling. But if it passes, demand for translators â or verbal AI that actually works â could suddenly spike.
4. đ Billy Joel, a Vanderbilt, and the ex-King walk into a yacht clubâŠ
At least somebody is having a good time, amid all this Gaza horror and the Israel-Spain feud and those guys getting their sentence for a gang-rape cut because they said âsorry.â You know whoâs having fun? The ex-King, old Juan Carlos I (aka JCI). Heâs having a fantastic time.
Heâs fresh from a visit to his happy place in Sanxenxo, Galicia. Thatâs where he sneaks off to when not in âexileâ in Abu Dhabi (because of all that corruption stuff) â and where he threw himself a send-off seafood binge, with percebes, sardines, jamĂłn, plus a floating dinner party on a mussel barge with daughter Elena and other BorbĂłnes you havenât heard of. And now? JCI has decamped to Oyster Bay, Long Island.
Aye Aye, captain. Thatâs where the 87-year-old emeritus will climb aboard BribĂłn, his 6m racing yacht, to participate in the 2025 International Six Metre World Championships â and defend his 2023 world sailing title, won on the U.K.âs Isle of Wight.
But as everyone knows, sailing yachts isnât just about sailing. The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club thatâs hosting the race is old-money heaven. Think the Great Gatsby turned to 11. Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (yes, of that family) was a member. And today, Billy Joel is a regular (âïž). Will he play âPiano Manâ for JCI? Inquiring minds want to know.
The Kingâs Gatsby social calendar rivals the race schedule. First up: welcome cocktails and happy hours on the terrace. Then comes Saturday nightâs piĂšce de rĂ©sistance: a Bollywood-themed party at the commodoreâs mansion. Dress code: âFestive Indian Attire.â (Did anyone say cultural appropriation? Not at Oyster Bay, darling.)
The fun never stops. Sunday keeps the good times rolling with a barbecue at the clubâs casual corner, the Salty Dog â $38 plus drinks, so JCIâs prolly good for it.
From Monday through Friday, itâs down to the water. The BribĂłn crew will try to keep its crown, and JCI will try not to fall overboard. The finale: a gala dinner and trophy ceremony next Friday (Sept. 27).
But no, thereâs more! No comeback tour is complete without merch, and this is no different. This fall, JCI drops his 500-page autobiography, ReconciliaciĂłn, ghosted by French writer Laurence Debray and reportedly stuffed with as-yet unseen photos đ€Ș.
Release schedule. France gets it first (November), Spain later (December). Why France first? đ€ An English version is promised. Weâre hoping less sailing talk and more dirty details about the whole âembarrassing accident while on a hunting trip in Botswana with a girlfriend named Corinna (aka not the Queen)â thing. đ Well, we can dream.
So while Madrid fumes and Gaza burns, one octogenarian is living his best Gatsby cosplay â minus the gunshot in the swimming pool, hopefully. The guyâs already had one firearm tragedy.
5. đ„ Two dead and 25 injured in Vallecas gas explosion
Madrid was rocked Saturday afternoon by a massive gas explosion in Vallecas that left two dead, 25 injured, and a whole building evacuated.
House renovation gone wrong. The blast hit around 3 p.m. at Calle Manuel Maroto 3, in a three-story building where a ground-floor shop had been illegally converted into a flat just six months ago. That unit â along with the buildingâs entrance and the wall of the next-door bar Mis Tesoros (packed with customers at the time) â was basically obliterated.
Witnesses said âthe security gate and even the sofas were blown into the street.â A passing car was hit by debris, and the force of the blast actually hurled it across the road. Sheesh.
Rescue dogs searching overnight found the body of a 52-year-old man buried under more than a meter of rubble. A second body was recovered Monday. Both were residents of the makeshift ground-floor home. Four others were pulled out alive.
In all, 25 people were treated for injuries, several seriously.
Fire chief Carlos MarĂn de la BĂĄrcena confirmed gas accumulation caused the blast, though investigators havenât yet nailed down the type or source of the leak. Neighbors say the destroyed unit had been an off-the-books conversion, part of a building that also housed 11 other families â one of them crammed into a courtyard shack.
Housing crisis side effect. The tragedy has sparked fresh alarm over Madridâs shadow housing market, where âconvertedâ shops and garages quietly become homes. In Vallecas, the result was catastrophic.
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