Former Madrid Deputy Serigne Mbaye Arrested During Police Operation in Usera

Serigne Mbaye, a Senegalese-born activist and former deputy of the Madrid Assembly for Unidas Podemos, was arrested on the evening of Thursday, March 26, 2026, in the Usera-Villaverde district of Madrid during a National Police operation targeting vehicle theft, and was released alongside six other detainees at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Friday. The arrest immediately triggered a sharp dispute between police authorities, who described the intervention as legitimate and necessary, and Podemos, which condemned it as a racist raid. Five police officers suffered injuries during the confrontation, and all seven detainees faced charges of assault on authority and injuries before their release. The Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín Aguirre, confirmed that an investigation into the events is open and that the report has been forwarded to judicial authorities.

Police say suspect called neighbors, sparking street confrontation According to the Government Delegation's account, the operation began at around 7:45 p.m. following an alert about a possible vehicle theft by two men in an area where such crimes are described as common, prompting a specific police deployment. Officers attempted to identify both individuals at the scene. One complied without incident, while the other repeatedly refused, adopted a confrontational attitude, and attempted to flee, forcing officers to intervene to prevent his escape and stop him from entering a doorway. At that point, according to the Delegation, the suspect began calling for help from neighbors, several of whom came down to the street, generating a situation of tension in which they also confronted officers. Reinforcements arrived, and the confrontations that followed left 5 (officers) — police officers reported injured in the confrontation with minor injuries, according to police sources cited by the Delegation, though one source from La Vanguardia described the injuries as serious. Seven people, including Mbaye, were then arrested for assault on authority and injuries. The Government Delegation stated it would continue working to ensure the appropriateness and proportionality of police actions.

Mbaye calls arrest racism; Podemos leaders demand accountability Upon his release, Mbaye addressed the public in a video circulated on social media, describing the officers' action as persecution and police violence. „This is pure and simple racism, this is a persecution against racialized people. This arrest today should shame everyone who is not against racism. We are going to keep fighting, we are going to keep struggling, no human being is illegal.” (This is pure and simple racism, this is a persecution against racialized people. This arrest today should shame everyone who is not against racism. We are going to keep fighting, we are going to keep struggling, no human being is illegal.) — Serigne Mbaye via La Vanguardia Ione Belarra, Secretary General of Podemos and a member of the Spanish parliament, had earlier demanded Mbaye's immediate release, describing him as an activist for the rights of migrant people. „If Serigne does not give up, neither will we. Enough of police violence already!” (If Serigne does not give up, neither will we. Enough of police violence already!) — Ione Belarra via La Vanguardia Irene Montero, Political Secretary of Podemos and a member of the European Parliament, also shared videos of the police action on social media, videos that police unions subsequently described as selectively edited. Podemos had initially characterized the arrest as occurring at the door of Mbaye's home in the Villaverde district, a framing the police version disputed. Francisco Martín Aguirre, the Government Delegate in Madrid, posted on social network X that police action must always be guaranteed and proportionate, and reaffirmed the state's commitment to the rule of law.

Police unions reject racism label, cite Mbaye's alleged violence The JUPOL police union issued a statement categorically rejecting any description of the intervention as a racist raid, calling such framing part of an orchestrated campaign to dehumanize and criminalize the police. The union stated that the operation was seriously hindered by the violent and defiant attitude of the detainees, who attacked officers with the objective of preventing their work. JUPOL went further, singling out Mbaye specifically, asserting that he stood out for his alleged violence and had allegedly assaulted an officer. The union also condemned the decision to release all seven detainees within hours of their arrest, calling it incomprehensible and warning that it created a sense of impunity. The SUP union similarly rejected accusations of racism, explaining that the operation began after a report of vehicle thefts and that the confrontation escalated only after one individual fled into a doorway. Both unions expressed full support for the officers involved at the Usera-Villaverde police station. The case has drawn attention to longstanding tensions over policing, race, and the treatment of racialized communities in Madrid, with Mbaye having previously been active in protests against police violence in the city's Lavapiés neighborhood.

Serigne Mbaye was born in Kayar, in the Thiès region of Senegal, on March 8, 1975, and later became a naturalized Spanish citizen. He served as a regional deputy for Unidas Podemos in the Madrid Assembly from 2021 to 2023. Before entering politics, he was a spokesperson for the Sindicato de Manteros and a member of the Asociación de los Sin Papeles, organizations representing undocumented migrants and street vendors in Spain. He has been active in anti-racism protests, particularly in the Madrid neighborhood of Lavapiés.