Spanish Flag-Wavers Thrown Out Of Sanchez’s Sevilla Rally

THERE was controversy today as members of the public were reportedly ejected from a PSOE rally in Sevilla for waving Spain’s national flag.

On Saturday, September 30, in La Rinconada, Sevilla, an event led by Pedro Sanchez, the PSOE leader, took an unexpected turn. Attendees waving Spanish flags were reportedly removed by PSOE staff, according to OK Diario.

Unexpected Ejections

‘We have been thrown out for the simple fact of carrying Spanish flags,’ explained a distressed man who was forcibly removed. A 74-year-old woman added, ‘First they let us in, but then they saw the flags and started to say that we were going to make trouble.

‘I only came to listen,’ said the Rinconada resident, who was deeply upset by the way she was treated.

Police Intervention

Further escalating the situation, the PSOE requested police assistance. They wanted to ensure that those removed didn’t linger near the venue’s entrance. Consequently, officers relocated them several metres away from the rally’s location.

The rally was predominantly attended by Prime Minister Sanchez‘s supporters, many of whom arrived in buses organised by the PSOE from various Andalusian towns.

However, the absence of attendees with Spanish flags raised eyebrows, especially given the PSOE’s recent political alliances with parties like Bildu, ERC, and Junts per Catalunya.

Sanchez’s Travel Choices

Pedro Sanchez opted to use the Falcon for his journey to the PSOE meeting. He justified this by attending the inauguration of a thermosolar plant at the Heineken España factory in Sevilla.

Interestingly, the PSOE rally had been planned well before his visit to Heineken, which was announced on September 29.

The Falcon is a colloquial term for the official government aircraft of Spain. Specifically, it’s an Airbus A310 used by the Spanish Prime Minister and the royal family for official trips.

The use of the Falcon by the prime minister has been a point of contention and debate in Spanish politics, as some critics argue that he uses it for non-official or personal trips, while others defend its use as appropriate for the Prime Minister’s duties and security.

La Rinconada’s Political Landscape

La Rinconada, where the PSOE enjoys a strong majority, was the chosen venue for Prime Minister Sanchez’s event. The PSOE had previously secured an absolute majority in 11 Seville towns during the local elections on May 28.

The town’s significance for the PSOE is further highlighted by its choice as the closing location for the Andalusian PSOE’s general elections campaign, which saw participation from former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.