Spanish official vows to identify rule breakers in anti-mask demonstration

The Spanish government delegate in capital Madrid Jose Manuel Franco promised on Monday that the authorities will do all they can to identify and prosecute people who broke rules regarding wearing face masks and safe social distances in an anti-mask demonstration held in the Spanish capital on Sunday, reported Xinhua.

Around 3,000 people took part in the demonstration in Madrid central "Plaza de Colon" with TV images showing many attendees paid no regard to a safe social distance of 2 meters and mask-wearing requirement, which is now obligatory outdoors in Spain in all circumstances.

Demonstrators chanted they wanted "to see the virus," insulted reporters covering the demonstration with water thrown at them, and in one instance even with spit.

Speaking on the Spanish radio station "Cadena Ser" on Monday, Franco described the demonstration as "a public health problem," and promised tough action against those present.

"What happened yesterday in Plaza de Colon and the way it developed is absolutely unacceptable and very serious."

"First of all, we are going to try and identify more people who failed to comply with the current norms and secondly we will impose the maximum sanctions. Nobody will be let off," he said.

One of the main voices behind the demonstration was Spanish pop singer Miguel Bose, who has posted a series of messages against face masks and vaccines -- such as "they want to kill us all"-- on his social media accounts.

Ironically, Bose's mother, Lucia Bose, died of complications from COVID-19 on March 23.

According to the latest figures published by the Spanish Ministry of Health, 359,082 people have been infected with COVID-19 in Spain, with 28,646 deaths.