Madrid Pride 2026 draws hundreds of thousands in protest against far-right rollback of LGTBIQ+ rights

A march of defiance

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in central Madrid on Saturday for the state Pride march, the most attended LGTBIQ+ event in Europe. The demonstration set off from Plaza del Emperador Carlos V shortly after 19:00 and wound two kilometres to Plaza de Colón, with more than 100 groups and 47 floats taking part. Participants braved an orange heat alert, with temperatures climbing to 39°C, armed with fans, water pistols and rainbow flags.

Rising hate and political context

Organisers from the State Federation LGTBI+ (FELGTBI+) and COGAM said the march was a direct response to a surge in far-right rhetoric across Europe and beyond. A recent FELGTBI+ study found that physical aggressions against gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people in Spain have tripled in the last two years. At the same time, the international LGTBIQ+ organisation ILGA named Spain the European country that most protects the community, a ranking that activists said must be defended.

“We are facing an organised offensive, a reactionary wave that questions our identities. They want to turn hate into public policy, but we will not allow it: our rights are not negotiable.”

Political presence and absences

Several government ministers marched at the front of the parade, including Equality Minister Ana Redondo, Digital Transformation Minister Óscar López, Health Minister Mónica García and Youth and Childhood Minister Sira Rego. The conservative People's Party (PP) sent its vice-secretary for Equality, Jaime de los Santos, who accused the left of "stealing rights" and monopolising the LGTBIQ+ banner. The far-right Vox party did not attend. Organisers criticised the PP for abstaining on a recent law that criminalises conversion therapies, with FELGTBI+ president Paula Iglesias saying the abstention "says a lot about which side of history you are on."

Voices from the crowd

Attendees mixed celebration with a clear call to resist rollbacks. Laura, a Brazilian trans woman experiencing her first Madrid Pride, said the human warmth outweighed the summer heat. "Thinking that so recently we couldn't be here, and now being so free, sharing this space with so many people from so many different places, fills my life with joy," she said. Others struck a more urgent tone.

“With fascism knocking at the door, we have to fight harder than ever, go to the streets, show our strength.”

COGAM president Ronny de la Cruz explained the dual slogan: "Dissidence because Pride was born to be uncomfortable, to annoy, to expand democracy and our rights. And resistance because rights are not set in stone and they will not take them away from us."

Legislative backdrop

The march came weeks after Spain approved a law that makes conversion practices a criminal offence, a measure the PP abstained on in Congress. Organisers called the practices "torture" and urged continued mobilisation to prevent any backsliding. "It is no longer enough not to go backwards; it is imperative to keep advancing in rights to shield ourselves against organised hate," the organisers said in a joint statement.