00:00 A massive protest has rocked the board for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
00:07 Reportedly, 170,000 individuals flooded Madrid's streets in the largest demonstration opposing
00:12 an amnesty law, a concession by Spain's socialists to secure government post the Catalonia's
00:18 2017 separation bid.
00:20 This march, part of a sequence of nationwide protests, materialised shortly after the socialist
00:23 Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez secured a four-year term, backed by Catalan and Basque nationalists
00:28 in exchange for embracing the international law, has become a contentious issue across
00:33 the European Union.
00:34 Protesters, many brandishing Spanish flags and flakars denouncing Sánchez as a traitor
00:39 and urging him not to sell Spain, vehemently oppose this law.
00:42 Critics including judicial bodies, opposition factions and business magnates have warned
00:47 that it jeopardises the country's judicial system and the vital separation of powers.
00:53 Authorities confirmed the massive turnout of 170,000 demonstrators, amplifying the intense
00:57 discontent and resistance against a decision that continues to roil Spain.
01:01 A colossal rally against Spain's amnesty law drew not just masses but also opposition figures
01:06 like Alberto Núñez Fijo from the Conservatives' People's Party and Santiago Abascal from the
01:11 Vox Party.
01:12 Organised by the civil group, this demonstration culminated in a motorway protest near Madrid's
01:16 Moncloa Palace, the Prime Minister's residence, calling a temporal disclosure of the A6 road.
01:23 Post-rally, hundreds continued protesting, leading to the road closure for about more
01:26 than an hour before police intervention facilitated the reopening.
01:30 Meanwhile, a smaller protest also unfolded at the Spanish Embassy in London, marking
01:35 individuals' resonance against the controversial amnesty internationally.
01:38 Following months of post-election deadlock, Pedro Sánchez finally took oath as Spain's
01:41 Prime Minister on Friday.
01:43 Notably, the amnesty law intended to pardon around 400 individuals involved in the illegal
01:48 Catalan referendum, including former Catalan President Carl Spigmont, living in exile in
01:53 Belgium.
01:54 The referendum, deemed illegal by courts, triggered Spain's severe political turmoil.
01:58 The proposed amnesty is said to be Spain's largest since 1977's Franco dictatorship amnesty
02:03 and EU's first amnesty law since 1991, reported by Spain's CSIC Research Council.
02:09 Spaniards view this law as a betrayal to the nation, linking Sánchez's approval to Catalonia's
02:13 secession from Spain.
02:15 And so, the protests are now shaking things up in Madrid.
02:19 [music]
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