organizers said. Hundreds of demonstrators occupied the closing stretch of the race route on Paseo del Prado after pushing over crowd-control barriers that had lined the road.

 The disruption began around 6 p.m. local time when protesters gathered to denounce the participation of the Israel–Premier Tech team. According to CNN, Spain’s National Police tried to disperse the crowds blocking the final mile of the route leading to the finish line but were unsuccessful. Officers deployed tear gas in an attempt to clear the area, but protesters clashed with police and erected barricades in the middle of the road using fencing from the race course.

 At least 22 police officers were injured in the clashes, a spokesperson for the National Police told CNN. The Spanish Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín Aguirre, said two people had been arrested in connection with the protests. Organizers later announced on social media that the stage had ended early for “security reasons,” and confirmed there would be “no podium ceremony.” Several earlier stages of the race had already been shortened or altered due to similar demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza.

 Israel–Premier Tech expressed regret over the cancellation of the finale and the traditional podium ceremony. “Unfortunately, these actions continued in Madrid this afternoon, as protesters took to the finishing circuit around the Spanish capital. After the stage was neutralized multiple times, the number of protesters blocking the route and the damage caused to the race’s infrastructure resulted in the cancellation of the race’s finale and traditional podium ceremony,” the team said in a statement Sunday.

 Team director Daryl Impey praised the riders for their composure. “There is no doubt that this was a difficult race for us, with everything we have been dealing with out on the road,” he said. The clashes unfolded just hours after Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he applauded the pro-Palestinian protesters who had disrupted the race. (CNN)