Introduction
Corruption allegations against government worsen
A slew of corruption allegations surrounds Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s inner circle. His right-hand man, Santos Cerdán, quit politics on 12th June 2025 after a judge found evidence that he had accepted bribes on public construction contracts. He was remanded in custody on 30th June 2025. Two other senior party figures, José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García, have faced similar bribery allegations. Meanwhile, Sánchez’s wife and brother are both under investigation for influence-peddling. Even the left-wing parties supporting Sánchez’s government, Sumar and Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC), demanded an explanation as parliamentary debate exploded around the issue on 18th June 2025.
The legal framework to address corruption in Spain remains deficient. The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) report on Spain, published on 1st August 2025, noted that key reforms have not been implemented, with none of the recommendations from 2019 fully carried out. Among the policies criticised were the increase in political advisers, who are not subject to the rules governing other public servants, and the legal immunity granted to parliamentary representatives in the lower courts.
Torre Pacheco riots lead to arrest of white supremacist leader and investigation into politician for incitement of violence
On 12th July 2025, unrest erupted in the Murcia town of Torre Pacheco after a local man in his 60s was attacked in the street and photographs of his injuries were circulated by far-right groups on social media to incite violence against immigrants. Calls to “hunt down” residents of North African origin brought groups of people to the town, where rioters violently targeted local shops associated with migrants, including halal grocers and kebab shops.
Police launched an investigation into the incitement of violence. On 15th July 2025, the messaging app Telegram shut down a channel titled “DeportThemNowSpain” for encouraging violence in Torre Pacheco. Messages in the chat had urged attacks on Moroccan residents in their homes. Spanish police arrested a leading figure in the white supremacist movement “Deport Them Now Europe”, identified by the initials C.L.F., and seized two computers. Prosecutors also began investigating statements made by José Ángel Antelo, leader of the far-right Vox party.
On 17th July 2025, the Spanish government announced increased monitoring of far-right groups and their suspected crimes following the unrest in Torre Pacheco. The Interior Ministry said that terrorism and organised crime specialists would now track far-right online spaces for incitement to violence. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, stressed that crime in Spain was neither rising nor linked to migration, contrary to far-right claims. At least nine people were arrested and more than 60 complaints of hate crimes and public disorder were recorded following the riots.
Euronews reported on 18th July 2025 that disinformation persisted in the aftermath, with videos from unrelated locations falsely attributed to Torre Pacheco. A fake announcement claiming to be from the Torre Pacheco town council was also circulated online, which far-right groups used to reinforce the narrative that immigration was linked to crime.
Mixed reactions as Constitutional Court upholds amnesty law
On 26th June 2025, Spain’s Constitutional Court upheld the controversial amnesty law passed by the government of Pedro Sánchez, which grants legal absolution to hundreds of individuals involved in the 2017 Catalan independence push. The decision marked a major political milestone and a calculated gamble by the government to ease longstanding tensions between Catalonia and Madrid, particularly given Sánchez’s reliance on Catalan pro-independence parties to remain in power.
The ruling, however, has been polarising. Many Catalan politicians and their supporters celebrated the law as a step towards reconciliation and a democratic resolution of the independence conflict, while conservatives and unionists condemned it as a betrayal of the rule of law and an erosion of judicial independence. Meanwhile, Catalan civil society and human rights organisations voiced serious concern over the inclusion in the amnesty of 46 police officers accused of brutality and even torture, warning that such broad forgiveness undermines accountability and sets a dangerous precedent for impunity in law enforcement.
Freedom of association
Catalan spyware victims announce new legal challenges
In early May 2025, a group of Catalan politicians and civil society activists reignited a legal campaign to hold Spanish and Israeli authorities accountable for what they allege were politically motivated cyberattacks using Pegasus and Candiru spyware. The surveillance targeted dozens of individuals connected to the Catalan independence movement and was allegedly conducted with the knowledge or direct participation of Spanish state actors. Victims argue the spyware not only invaded their privacy but also amounted to political persecution that stifled democratic expression. Legal proceedings are under way in both Spain and Israel, focusing on the misuse of surveillance technology and the failure of judicial and institutional safeguards.
On 5th May, former regional President Artur Mas told Congress he had plans to file a criminal lawsuit, while Politico reported on 8th May that the non-profit Sentinel Alliance filed a case in Barcelona on behalf of five Catalan software engineers, marking the first complaint worldwide against Candiru. Speaking to Politico, Joan Arús, one of the plaintiffs in the case and president of Sentinel Alliance, said they will take their fight to European courts if Spanish avenues fail.
Freedom of Expression
Stricter media accreditation rules on the way for Spanish Parliament
On 13th May 2025, journalists walked out of a parliamentary press briefing after repeated interruptions from far-right activist Bertrand Ndongo. He spoke over another journalist who was attempting to ask a question and, when asked to stop, chanted: “I will not remain silent.” In addition to publishing interviews and reports for the online outlet Periodista Digital, Ndongo is a political activist affiliated with the far-right party Vox, having worked in its communications department as an adviser to the party leader in the Community of Madrid.
Journalists from other media outlets boycotted the sessions for the rest of the day in protest at the inaction of the Congress’s communications authorities, leaving the briefing room largely empty. A reform of the rules was already under way to allow sanctions against those who disrupt proceedings in the press gallery. In a statement, the Association of Parliamentary Journalists (APJ) said it “strongly condemns the behaviour of some individuals accredited to Congress, who continue to disrupt or impede the normal operation of press conferences … and who distort the right to gather and transmit truthful information.”
One week later, on 20th May 2025, the Spanish Parliament debated the proposal to reform media accreditation. Journalists had already raised the alarm in February 2025, protesting against unacceptable behaviour in the press gallery, saying they had been threatened with doxxing and that the disregard for rules was undermining Spanish citizens’ right to information. The proposal passed its first hurdle and was expected to be approved at the next plenary session of Congress, meaning it could come into force as early as the autumn.
As reported by El País, far-right parties Vox and PP sought to weaken the reforms and shield “pseudo-journalists” like Ndongo, but their amendments were rejected on 8th July 2025. They argued the reforms would restrict freedom of expression and the ability to ask uncomfortable questions. Journalists, however, maintained that the new regulation was essential to safeguard citizens’ access to reliable information.
Report highlights how 2024 floods were exploited to target journalists
A report released on 27th June 2025 by the International Press Institute (IPI) outlined how the October 2024 floods were exploited by ultranationalist influencers and conspiracy theorists to target the public broadcaster RTVE. The harassment of journalists during the floods went beyond online abuse and included physical assaults on reporters from RTVE, La Sexta, and Telecinco, among others, while they attempted to work.
“The Valencia case illustrates how quickly legitimate journalism can be weaponised and reframed as manipulation”, said IPI spokesperson Javier Luque.
Freedom of Assembly
Court in Madrid annuls labour agreement, protecting the right to protest
On 14th July 2025, the High Court of Justice of Madrid, the Community of Madrid’s highest court, annulled Article 10 of a regional collective labour agreement that had expressly forbidden strikes, protests, or other collective actions, threatening withdrawal of career progression benefits for non-compliant workers. The court ruled that these provisions violated up to eight fundamental rights, including the rights to strike, freedom of assembly and protest, expression, collective bargaining, and judicial protection.
Six trade unionists’ prison sentences upheld for picketing
In early June 2025, Spain’s Supreme Court upheld the conviction of six women trade unionists, known as “Las Seis de La Suiza” (the La Suiza six), who organised a protest outside the La Suiza bakery in Gijón in 2019 to support a pregnant worker who had accused her employer of sexual harassment. The women were sentenced to over two years in prison on charges of coercion for participating in a picket outside the bakery where the alleged abuse occurred. Labour unions and human rights advocates condemned the ruling as an attack on the right to protest and organise, warning it set a dangerous precedent that criminalises peaceful labour action. Several demonstrations were organised in support of the convicted women.
Mass protests against PM demand new elections
On 8th June 2025, more than 45,000 people gathered in central Madrid to demand the government’s resignation. The protest, organised by the conservative People’s Party (PP), focused on allegations of corruption in the governing Socialist Party (PSOE). It was sparked by leaked audio in which Justice Minister Leire Díez appeared to wage a smear campaign against the police unit investigating Sánchez’s wife. Protesters marched under the slogan “Mafia or democracy”. Later in the month, a police report into Sánchez’s former right-hand man, Santos Cerdán, described the party’s operations as “mafia-like”.
Protest in Madrid opposes NATO funding increase
On 7th June 2025, around 1,000 people demonstrated in Madrid at a protest called by Spain’s left wing political parties, opposing a likely increase in NATO funding under pressure from US President Donald Trump and European allies. The issue, supported by the governing Socialist Party, has become politically divisive in Spain, with coalition partners threatening to leave the government if the funding increase is approved.
Government takes action against Airbnb amid reignited anti-tourism protests
Anti-tourism protests on the Canary Islands on 18th May 2025 drew a crowd of 30,000 locals in Tenerife. The group Canarias Tiene Un Límite (The Canary Islands Have a Limit) organised demonstrations across the archipelago as well as in several mainland cities. As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, the group has said there has been no progress despite years of protests. Demonstrators highlighted the strain on housing availability and local infrastructure caused by overtourism. The protest came after the Canary Islands received a record 1.55 million visitors in March. Thousands showed up to urge for limits on visitor numbers.
On 20th May 2025, the government announced a crackdown on Airbnbs and called for the removal of 66,000 properties across Spain from the holiday rental platform. The properties, located in Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country and the Balearic Islands, had violated rules on tourist housing by not displaying a licence number indicating whether they were rented as a business or privately, according to Social Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy.
On 15th June 2025, Spaniards joined neighbouring countries in a coordinated protest against mass tourism organised by the group Southern Europe Against Touristification. In Barcelona, hundreds of locals marched with signs reading “Your Airbnb used to be my home”. Some demonstrators told tourists filming them to “go home” and squirted water at people seated outside restaurants. In Mallorca, 5,000 people joined the march, chanting: “Everywhere you look, all you see are tourists.”
Demand for Spanish government to secure release of prisoners in Venezuela
On 12th May 2025, a group of activists and relatives of Venezuelan political prisoners gathered outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid to deliver a letter demanding greater Spanish involvement in securing the release of 60 political prisoners of European nationality detained in Venezuela, including 12 Spaniards. Demonstrators declared: “Spain has not led this process, and we view this as extremely serious”, describing Venezuelan prisons as “torture centres”.
Judges strike over reform disagreements
On 1st July 2025, Spanish prosecutors and judges launched a three-day strike in protest against judicial reforms proposed by the government. The reforms aim to restructure access to the judicial system and change how key officials are appointed, particularly to the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). The government argues the changes are necessary to democratise and depoliticise a system long dominated by elite interests, while critics warn they could lead to excessive executive control. Judges and prosecutors across the country staged protests despite legal ambiguity over whether they are entitled to strike.
May Day demonstrations and other strikes for labour protections
On 1st May 2025, International Workers’ Day, more than 80 cities across Spain saw large-scale rallies demanding stronger labour protections, wage increases, and greater social investment. Major mobilisations were led by Spain’s two largest unions, UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores, General Union of Workers) and CCOO (Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras, Workers’ Commissions), whose leaders emphasised the urgent need for policies addressing cost-of-living pressures and job insecurity. Demonstrators also called for a shorter work week. While the atmosphere was largely festive and peaceful, there was a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction with both employers and the government, particularly as Spain continues to face high youth unemployment and wage stagnation.
Pride celebrations and calls for resistance
Spain’s Pride Month featured vibrant, widely attended events across the country, including large parades in Madrid and Barcelona. However, the celebrations also highlighted tensions within the LGBTQI+ movement. In Barcelona, more than 3,000 demonstrators used Pride to call for more radical, grassroots-led resistance and less corporate sponsorship, arguing the spirit of Pride had been diluted. In Madrid, the city council attempted to cancel the Vallekano Pride event at the last minute, sparking public outrage. Organisers described the move as an act of “covert repression”. Following public pressure, the event was reinstated.