A SENEGAL-BORN former MP was arrested in Madrid following an ‘altercation’ with police, authorities have said – in a case that has set off a furious debate over alleged racism in the force.
Dramatic footage shows Serigne Mbaye, a political activist and former Podemos representative in Madrid’s Assembly from 2021 to 2023, struggling with officers as they try to restrain him on Thursday night.
According to reports, the incident began when plainclothes officers were dispatched to Madrid’s Usera district to track two suspected car thieves whose description ‘could have matched’ Mbaye’s.
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The officers asked Mbaye for ID, police have said, but the activist allegedly refused and attempted to enter a nearby building, prompting officers to move in and arrest him.
Tensions quickly spiralled, with footage of the clash also showing several bystanders getting involved.
Police sources say five officers suffered minor injuries in the confrontation, and a total of seven civilians – including Mbaye – were detained before being released hours later.
The incident has ignited a political storm in the capital, with authorities backing the officers involved while critics accuse the force of ‘deep-rooted racism.’
Podemos leader Ione Belarra said: “Enough of harassment, enough of police persecution because of skin colour and for defending social justice.”
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Sumar MPs piled on the pressure, demanding answers from the government: “Does the Government acknowledge institutional racism and racial profiling in National Police actions?
“If not, how does it explain repeated complaints from independent organisations and social groups?”
But government officials have defended the operation, insisting officers were responding to a citizen tip-off and acting within their duties.
“The situation escalated due to one of those involved refusing to cooperate, followed by resistance from several people,” a government source told El Español.
Mbaye hit back furiously, branding the incident ‘pure, blatant racism’ and saying anyone not standing against racism should feel ‘ashamed.’
“No human being is illegal,” he added.
Mbaye arrived in Spain by boat in 2006 and spent years in precarious work before becoming a migrant rights activist and eventually naturalising as Spanish.
He became a leading voice for Madrid’s manteros — street vendors who sell goods, often on blankets laid out on the ground — and a prominent anti-racism campaigner, particularly in the neighbourhood of Lavapies.
In 2021, he made the leap into politics as a Podemos MP in Madrid’s Assembly.
Now a key anti-racism figure within Podemos, Mbaye is known for his outspoken criticism of alleged police discrimination.
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