Pro-Palestinian Protest Forces Vuelta Stage To Be Shortened

The 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race was shortened on Wednesday after pro-Palestinian protesters tried to burst onto the course near the finish line in Bilbao, sparking calls for the Israeli team's withdrawal.

"Due to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at 3 kilometres before the line," the organisers of the Vuelta, cycling's third most-important Grand Tour, said.

Protests have targeted the Israel-Premier Tech team at each stage of this year's Vuelta.

On Wednesday, an AFP journalist saw demonstrators holding Palestinian flags appearing to be attempting to push barriers into the road to disrupt the event at the finish line.

A security advisor to the Basque regional government, Bingen Zupiria, said some behaviour at the race "compromised safety".

Zupiria said five people were identified by local police with three others arrested, while four officers were injured.

The UCI governing body "firmly condemned" the incident, saying cycling "has a role to play in bringing people together and overcoming barriers between them, and should under no circumstances be used as a tool for punishment".

"The UCI reiterates the fundamental importance of the political neutrality of sports organisations," it said in a statement, expressing "solidarity" with the teams who should "pursue their passion in optimal conditions of safety and serenity".

Riders met for a safety meeting before Wednesday's stage following an incident on Tuesday when pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to run into the road ahead of the peloton and caused Italian rider Simone Petilli to fall.

During the fifth stage of the race last week, protesters succeeded in slowing down the Israel-Premier Tech riders.

The race's technical director, Kiko Garcia, told reporters after Wednesday's chaos that the only solution "would be that the team from Israel realised that being here does not facilitate everyone else's security".

Conceding he could not make that decision, Garcia said organisers had to consider "if we can put at risk a Vuelta... or prefer continuing to protect a team that is putting at risk all the others".

Israel launched its Gaza offensive in October 2023 in retaliation for an unprecedented cross-border attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Israel's bombardment has killed at least 63,746 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations says are reliable.

In May 2024 the left-wing Spanish government formally recognised a Palestinian state, defying threats from Israel.

Sira Rego, the Spanish Minister for Youth and Childhood, of Palestinian descent on her father's side, said the protests at the Vuelta showed Spanish society "giving a lesson in humanity".

"The protests at La Vuelta demonstrate our commitment to peace and human rights," wrote Rego on social media network Bluesky.

"In Palestine, more than 63,000 people no longer feel 'in danger' because they have been murdered by Israel. Enough is enough."

There was no stage winner, with Jonas Vingegaard starting and ending the day as overall leader.

After the organisers announced the race would be neutralised, Briton Tom Pidcock roared into the lead on the final climb on Alto de Pike to claim six bonus seconds, with Vingegaard following him for four.

The Professional Cyclists Association had called for better protection for riders before the race.

"They face extreme physical challenges on a daily basis and it is unacceptable that external threats should add to these difficulties," it wrote.

Stage 12 on Thursday runs 145 kilometres from Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna.