The local authorities in the city of Valladolid have opted to deploy 450 police officers along the route of Thursday’s time trial stage of the Vuelta a España, amid what a local state official said were signs that expected pro-Palestine protests could expand their usual fields of action.
“We have indications that wider actions are being organised beyond the usual placing of [Palestinian] flags outside the route,” Jacinto Canales, a state official in Valladolid, told the news agency EFE.
The Vuelta a España has already seen multiple protests against the ongoing presence of the Israel-Premier Tech squad in the race, the most recent being on Sunday’s stage 15 when a roadside demonstrator indirectly caused Spanish rider Javier Romo (Movistar) to crash around 60 kilometres from the finish. Police arrested 11 protestors during the stage for various offences.
The Vuelta a España has a permanent police presence accompanying it, comprising 202 officers. 132 from the Guardia Civil force – primarily mobile units responsible for traffic and non-urban duties during stages – while a further 70 from the National Police handle the starts and finishes and the immediate surrounding area.
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