6,000 cars and motorcycles collapse the center of the capital summoned by the ultra-right VOX party. To walk through the Salamanca neighborhood this morning, the mask was essential. And not only because it was impossible to maintain the social distance of two meters, but because of the strong smell of gasoline that permeated the environment. Upon arriving at the Puerta de Alcalá, motorists with Spanish flags bellowed their high-displacement machines at maximum power and some passers-by applauded.


As expected, the Freedom Caravan called by Vox in the capital of Spain to ask for the resignation of Pedro Sánchez has caused a monumental traffic jam. The Government Delegation has estimated the number of vehicles at 6,000 (15,000 protesters to 2.5 occupants on average), but this calculation refers only to the authorized area, whose maximum capacity was 2,820 passenger cars, not counting all those who stayed outside.

From an hour before the start of the march, the cars crowded into the Plaza de Cibeles. There were all kinds, but high-end ones abounded: BMW, Mercedes and 4x4, among others. At the scheduled time to start, a lady warned: "Serrano street is already jammed, from here we don't move a subway." Indeed, from the beginning to the end of the journey authorized by the Government Delegation (1.5 kilometers) it was already a stopper.

In theory, the concentration had been convened on board vehicles, as this prevented the crowding of people from causing a re-emergence of the pandemic. But with more than 30 degrees and in full sun on the asphalt, there is no one to hold inside the car; except for the lucky ones who were in convertibles, which were a few. So people started to get out of their vehicle and talk to the neighbor, skipping all the security measures. The municipal guards who were in the area asked them to put on the mask.

In Plaza de Colón, on top of a double-decker bus without a roof, painted with the slogan “Fase Libertad”, those responsible for Vox were: President Santiago Abascal; the general secretary, Javier Ortega Smith; the parliamentary speaker, Iván Espinosa de los Monteros; the regional leader, Rocío Monasterio; and the group's general secretary, Macarena Olona. Beside him, smoke cans were launched in the colors of the Spanish flag, in imitation of the one drawn in the sky by the jets of the Spanish air force patrol. Behind, hundreds of motorcycles, thousands of cars and just a few bicycles. A Dominican girl boasted of being the only one who pedaled, although in reality there would be a dozen. The image seemed typical of a demonstration in favor of the free burning of fossil fuels.

Abascal made a harangue to his followers broadcast live on EsRadio, Federico de Jiménez Losantos's station, and El Toro TV, the informal channel of the ultra party. The Vox leader attacked Vice President Pablo Iglesias, whom he called a "new communist with a long ponytail and short understanding" and called on his followers to "stay on the street", maintaining daily protests against the Government, despite the threat of "illegal fines".

Although many vehicles were tuned to the station, Abascal's harangue was barely audible, as at no time did the thunder of the horns cease. The Puerta de Alcalá, the end point of the march, sports a great black crepe for the more than 28,000 deaths that the pandemic in Spain has claimed so far, but the atmosphere was not mourning, but rather joy, an hour and a half later the As it marched, a handful of cars continued to circle an improvised circuit between Puerta de Alcalá and the Cibeles fountain.

Although Madrid was the epicenter, all the provincial capitals, in addition to Ceuta and Melilla, were the scene of the so-called Freedom Marches of Vox, after the courts lifted the prohibitions that weighed on those called in Castilla y León and Catalonia.

Some 6,000 cars and a thousand motorcycles participated in the Seville caravan. At 1:15 p.m., when the headwaters reached the La Barqueta bridge where the concentration ended, there were still vehicles that had not left the starting point, the esplanade of the Betis stadium, reports Margot Molina.

In addition to the vehicles (the cars adorned with Spanish flags and the motorcyclists wearing it as capes), many people on foot have greeted the caravan, some wearing a T-shirt with the caption #veteyasanchez.

The atmosphere, quite hot with the 37 ° that the thermometers marked, has been animated by the public address system from which Vox called the protesters to sound their horns to the rhythm of songs like Viva España, by Manolo Escobar, or Libre ', by Nino Bravo