A small group of protesters tried to break ​through barriers around the residence ‌of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro ​Sanchez on Saturday (May 23, 2026) during ⁠a mass rally calling for him to resign after a series of corruption scandals.

Police ‌detained a group of masked people on the ‌main road approaching Madrid’s Moncloa ‌Palace, ⁠where Mr. Sanchez lives with his family, ⁠images on Spanish television showed.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators carried banners marked with “Resignation ​of the socialist ‌mafia” and other slogans, alongside scores of Spanish gold and red flags in the March for Dignity, ‌organised by the Spanish ​Civil Society association.

Leaders from the opposition People’s Party and ⁠the far-right Vox party also took part in the largely peaceful ‌march.

A Spanish court announced on Tuesday that former Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was being investigated for allegedly leading an influence-peddling and money-laundering network, ‌in another blow to the leftist government ​beset by corruption scandals.

Mr. Zapatero, a key ally of the ⁠current Prime Minister, denied any wrongdoing on ⁠Tuesday (May 19).

Organisers said 80,000 people had taken part in the ‌protest, though the Spanish government representative in Madrid put the number ​at about 40,000.