Anti-Israel protests turn Spanish Vuelta cycling race into a diplomatic battleground
BARCELONA: As an alderperson in northwestern Spain, Rosana Prieto tends to the running of her tiny village and is far removed from major cities, often rocked by protests over geopolitical issues. But with one of the world’s biggest cycling races coursing through the bucolic hills nearby, she and hundreds of like-minded townspeople sensed a chance to make their small voices heard, denouncing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Palestinian flags in hand, they stood precisely where they knew the television cameras would broadcast their message to the world: the last turn before the finish line of the 15th stage, as cyclists of the Spanish Vuelta whirred past.