Madrid regional government files hate-crime complaint over threats against Ayuso at Sol camp

The criminal complaint

The Community of Madrid has filed a complaint with the Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Madrid over what it calls 'threats, insults and offensive expressions' against regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, linked to the encampment in Puerta del Sol that began on the night of 26 September. The filing, made on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, was prepared by the regional legal office and submitted through Miguel Ángel García Martín, the regional minister for the presidency, justice and local administration. It describes chants and insults aimed at Ayuso in the course of her duties, along with photographs of banners and graffiti that wish for her death and call for her home to be burned. The regional legal office considers these acts could amount to threats, serious insults with publicity, hate crimes and property damage under the Penal Code. The complaint also cites an insulting message projected onto the facade of the Real Casa de Correos, aimed at Ayuso and Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida.

Heritage damage and Metro losses

The complaint extends to damage to public property and items of historic, cultural and monumental value, including the Oso y Madroño statue and the facade of the Real Casa de Correos, both listed as Bienes de Interés Cultural, and the equestrian statue of Charles III. Municipal restoration crews were needed to repair the Oso y Madroño after the vandalism, and the bronze statue of Charles III has graffiti on it. The complaint also lists damage to street lighting, lamp posts, bus shelters and the square's paving, with repair and cleaning costs. Metro de Madrid's losses, as reported by the regional government, total 186,649 euros. That figure combines 167,689 euros in lost revenue, tied to 120,029 fewer trips at Sol station between 30 September and 13 October, with 11,296 euros in extra staff costs for 264 hours and 7,664 euros in extra security for 283 hours. Lines 1, 2 and 3 have seen partial access closures several times and temporary suspensions of entries and exits at Sol, with only interchanges between lines kept open.

In a letter to the government delegate, García Martín argued that the encampment made any evacuation harder.

It is clear that the illegal encampment compromises the safety and operation of the station and hampers a possible evacuation or the intervention of emergency services.

Sol demonstration and the City Council's request

On the morning of 14 October, a demonstration by public education protesters ended in Puerta del Sol, with 5,000 people communicated as attending. According to a Metro report cited by the regional government, the protesters arrived as the square was still occupied, which blocked the station exits and forced the closure of Sol. The regional government says the Government Delegation allowed the march even though it knew the square was already occupied, and García Martín described the risk to people as certain, serious and foreseeable.

On Tuesday, 13 October, Madrid City Council sent another request to the government delegate, Francisco Martín, demanding the encampment be lifted. The council pointed to a notable growth in the camp with new tents, possible consequences for any evacuation, the presence of 'radical far-left groups' and heritage damage in the square. Socialist spokeswoman Reyes Maroto, who joined the education workers at the square, condemned any vandalism but defended the camp as peaceful and as a demand for dignity.

Social mobilisations are sticking in the throat of the mayor and the PP. Today young people in Madrid are demanding decent conditions to live.

Government response and next steps

García Martín warned that the regional government will exhaust every judicial route, including a cassation appeal to the Supreme Court, if its demand for the immediate eviction of Puerta del Sol is not met. At a press conference after the Governing Council meeting, he said radical groups linked to organisations declared terrorist by other countries are among the campers. He did not name those organisations and asked the Government Delegation to investigate. The regional government holds the delegate responsible for the security problems, the damage and the losses to businesses nearby. The regional government warned that the same situation could recur that afternoon. The complaint now goes to the provincial prosecutor, and the regional government has asked for the immediate preservation of CCTV footage from Puerta del Sol and nearby shops, police intervention reports and the identification of anyone who may have taken part.