Madrid regional government bans support for Palestine in schools: El Pais

The conservative government of the Madrid region is quietly banning support for Palestine in publicly funded schools, Spanish daily El Pais reported Wednesday.​​​​​​​

Citing anonymous sources and one retired principal with direct knowledge of the ban, El Pais reported that capital regional education authorities have been telling schools to take down all symbols related to support for Gaza, including Palestinian flags.

The regional government reportedly says public schools should remain apolitical, and support for Palestine is politically charged. However, the same government encouraged support for Ukraine in educational centers after the war began in 2022.

Sources told El Pais that these directives are relatively new, as schools in the Spanish capital region have been organizing pro-Palestine events for months.

- Opposition politicians aim for pro-Palestinian government policies

Nationally, support for Palestine has grown increasingly polarizing.

Over the weekend, the Popular Party head of the Madrid region slammed Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for supporting the protests that brought the La Vuelta cycling race to a halt in Madrid.

“This is an attack on sports, freedom, Spain, and our image,” said Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel and its war in Gaza.

Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the Popular Party’s national head, also attacked the Spanish government’s pro-Palestine stance.

“Save us your lessons on humanity … To stay in power, everyone knows that you would even make a pact with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu,” he told Sanchez in a parliamentary debate Wednesday.

He accused the government of using Gaza as a smokescreen to cover up its failures and corruption scandals.

“I won’t allow you to use the deaths in Gaza against Spaniards who don’t vote for you,” Feijoo added.

Sanchez slammed Feijoo for refusing to describe the war in Gaza as a genocide.

Citing a recent poll showing 82% of Spaniards believe what is happening in Gaza is genocide, he said Feijoo should listen to voters as well as international experts.

Spain’s left-wing coalition government has been one of the most outspoken in the EU against Israel’s attacks on Gaza. In 2024, Spain recognized the state of Palestine, and long been lobbying for EU-level measures against Israel, and recently announced more steps, including a permanent arms embargo on Israel and a ban on imports from the occupied Palestinian territories.