MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2021) The Spanish Constitutional Court has upheld the authorities' decision to prohibit all rallies related to the International Women's Day on Monday in Madrid and the surrounding areas due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Madrid is the only region in Spain where the authorities decided last week to ban all March 8 demonstrations, as the Community of Madrid has the highest infection rates and a number of hospitalized people that is much higher than the national average. The organizers of rallies challenged the government's decree in the High Court of Justice of Madrid but lost the bid. Two largest Spanish trade unions turned to the Constitutional Court to appeal the verdict.
"To refuse to suspend the verdict of the aforementioned court [the Madrid High Court], which the trade unions requested so as to hold a rally today in the Plaza de Cibeles square in Madrid," the court said.
However, despite the ban, people are gathering in different parts of the capital region for demonstrations, with the organizers calling for a general action on Monday evening. They urge everyone to hang feminist symbols on balconies, windows and doors and go out on balconies at 8:00 p.m. local time (19:00 GMT).
