Over 100 demonstrators protested outside Madrid's Movistar Arena against the EuroLeague basketball game between Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv, held without spectators on security grounds amid the Gaza conflict. A massive police deployment monitored the event, joined by political figures like Ione Belarra.
The EuroLeague matchup took place on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 8:45 PM at Movistar Arena, with empty stands following a decision by the Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, based on police advice. This mirrored a similar closed-door game in Barcelona earlier that week involving another Israeli team.
In Salvador Dalí Square (Felipe II), 100 to 800 protesters organized by over 250 Palestinian solidarity groups gathered, chanting 'Boycott Israel,' 'Where are the sanctions?' and 'Maccabi Tel Aviv, out of Madrid!' They waved Palestinian flags and opposed Israeli teams in Spanish sports. Tension arose when two pro-Israeli individuals were escorted out after being heckled.
Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida criticized the closure, arguing that 'an Israeli team should not be treated differently from any other.' Unidas Podemos' Ione Belarra, at the protest, lamented 'doing business while Israel kills people.' Other participants included Pablo Rodríguez (Podemos), activist Vito Quiles, and Francisco Nicolás Gómez.
Protester Pablo, 23, highlighted a 'contradiction' in censoring Palestinian flags at games while allowing Israeli teams. Ada and Carmen, women in their 60s, decried decades of Palestinian suffering and demanded a sports boycott.
Security was extensive, with 400 National Police, municipal agents, fencing, road closures, and anti-riot units. At 8:48 PM, officials confirmed the game had begun. One protester noted it 'should never have taken place,' while Carmen added, 'The boycott won't stop; letting Israel play is politics.'
This marked Maccabi's second closed-door game in Spain that week. All recent EuroLeague matches involving Israeli teams there have been spectator-free, with more scheduled for March in Vitoria, Barcelona, and Madrid featuring Hapoel Tel Aviv.
