Podemos Anti-Racism Secretary Serigne Mbaye Arrested Following Scuffle in Madrid

Serigne Mbaye, the Podemos secretary for anti-racism and former regional deputy in the Madrid Assembly, was arrested on the afternoon of March 26, 2026, in the Usera district of Madrid after a scuffle with National Police officers. Six other people were detained alongside Mbaye in the same incident. Upon leaving the Usera Police Station the following morning, Mbaye described the arrest as „pure and hard racism” — Serigne Mbaye via Europa Press and a persecution against racialized people. The arrest immediately triggered a political confrontation between left-wing parties and the Madrid city government, with competing accounts of what took place and calls for legislative action from multiple quarters.

Deputy mayor defends officers, cites equality before the law Inmaculada Sanz Otero, Deputy Mayor of Madrid and Delegate for Security and Emergencies, defended the National Police officers involved and rejected suggestions that the law was applied unequally. Speaking from Valdebebas, she expressed her support for the officers and wished those who were injured a speedy recovery. „There is not one law for all citizens and another for the deputies of Más Madrid and Podemos” — Inma Sanz via Europa Press She also called on the Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, to back the officers rather than question their conduct, referencing what she described as a previous instance of the government failing to support police. Sanz emphasized that respect for authority must be exercised by everyone, and particularly by those holding public office.

Podemos blames interior minister, four detainees file injury reports Pablo Fernández, Secretary of Organization of Podemos, held Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska directly responsible for the arrest and announced a package of parliamentary measures in response. Fernández stated that four of the seven people detained had submitted injury reports alleging police brutality. „We do not live in a normal and full democracy when raids based on ethnic profiling and also episodes of violence, of police brutality, occur every day” — Pablo Fernández via Europa Press He said Podemos had contacted the Government Delegation in Madrid to demand the immediate release of Mbaye and the other detainees, which took place the morning of March 27. Fernández described the incident as "absolutely shameful, absolutely unacceptable and intolerable" and demanded accountability from those he held responsible for what he called police brutality. 4 (people) — detainees who submitted injury reports alleging police brutality

Two parties register separate proposals targeting racial profiling Both Podemos and Más Madrid moved to introduce formal legislative proposals in the wake of the arrest. Podemos announced it would submit a battery of questions in Congress and a Non-Legislative Proposal in the lower house requesting an independent investigation, anti-racism training for state security forces, and an end to what the party described as ethnically profiled police raids. Más Madrid separately registered a PNL in the Vallecas Chamber of the Madrid Assembly demanding that the National Police and municipal forces fill out stop, identification, and search forms to allow disaggregated data collection and detection of discriminatory practices. The regionalist party also called for specific human rights and anti-discrimination training for local police and asked the regional government for an express condemnation of what it termed institutional violence and structural racism. The two initiatives, filed by separate parties through different legislative bodies, reflect a broader push from the Spanish left to formalize oversight of police conduct toward migrant and racialized communities.

Serigne Mbaye Diouf was born on March 8, 1975, in Kayar, Thiès, Senegal, and holds Spanish nationality. He served as a regional deputy for Unidas Podemos in the Madrid Assembly between 2021 and 2023 and currently holds the role of secretary for anti-racism within Podemos. The Usera district of Madrid, where the arrest took place, has a large immigrant population and has historically been a focal point for debates over policing and racial profiling in the Spanish capital.