Car Protests in Barcelona Called by Far-Right Vox Party against Spain’s Government Handling of Pandemic

CAR protests have been taking place in Barcelona, organised by the far-right Vox Party in a show of strength against the Spanish government’s handling of the pandemic crisis.

Barcelona was one of many provincial capitals nominated by Vox for the nationwide motorcade demonstrations.

It went ahead today (May 23) after the regional court yesterday decided that there was no legal reason to prohibit a demonstration where the participants sat in their vehicles.

The Catalonia region is not a particularly fertile ground for the relatively new political grouping, with voters at the last general election mainly backing independence parties or the PSOE party of Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez.

Vox nationally have insisted that social distancing rules are followed during the protests and that people stay in their cars to make sure that nobody’s health is put at risk.

The right-wing party launched the demonstrations over the Madrid government’s use of the State of Alarm, as well as to criticise what they say have been policy mistakes during the coronavirus pandemic.

People have been told not to protest in the streets, though other demonstrations in recent days have not seen those rules followed, especially in Madrid.