23 Mar 2018 | 10:22 PM UTC
Spain: Demonstration expected at US Embassy in Madrid March 24
Demonstration planned in front of US Embassy in Madrid and in other Spanish cities March 24; heightened security presence and localized transportation disruptions expected
Event
A demonstration is expected to take place in front of the US Embassy in Madrid from 11:00 (local time) to around 12:00 on Saturday, March 24. According to the US Embassy, the demonstrators are protesting gun violence and school shootings in the US. Additional associated protests are expected in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, amid other Spanish cities, on Saturday; the demonstration in Palma de Mallorca is expected to conclude at the US Consular Agency (Calle Porto Pi, 8-9). A heightened security presence and localized transportation disruptions are expected near protests.
Context
The planned protests in Spain come after at least 17 people were killed by a lone shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland (Florida) on February 14, and coincide with the March 24 "March for Our Lives" protest marches in major cities in the US, including in the capital, Washington, DC, demanding stricter gun control measures. Mass shootings are relatively common in the US; five other school shooting incidents involving casualties have occurred in the country since the beginning of the year. Since 2013 there have been nearly 300 such incidents, amounting to one every week on average.
Advice
Individuals in affected areas of Spain are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all protests and demonstrations as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.
