Thousands of far-right demonstrators took to the streets of Madrid on Tuesday night to protest against acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez's offer of amnesty for those involved in Catalonia's 2017 independence bid. What started as a peaceful demonstration quickly turned violent when a small group of protesters attempted to break the police line near the socialist headquarters.

As tensions escalated, police resorted to firing tear gas and using batons against the protesters, who were reportedly throwing stones and other objects at them. Television footage captured some demonstrators giving Nazi salutes and waving flags associated with the Franco dictatorship.

The protest, which took place near the national headquarters of Spain's Socialist Party and the Parliament, drew an estimated crowd of around 7,000 people. The demonstration was in response to the ongoing negotiations between Spain's caretaker government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialists (PSOE), and Catalan separatist parties regarding a possible amnesty for thousands of individuals involved in Catalonia's independence movement.

Sanchez's government aims to secure another term by gaining the support of Catalonia's separatist parties through the proposed amnesty law and other concessions. However, this plan has faced opposition from the largest opposition party, the conservative People's Party (PP), as well as the right-wing populist Vox party, both of which strongly oppose the concessions.

Despite the protests, the PSOE has already reached an agreement with the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). The support of the Junts party, led by exiled Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, is still necessary to approve the draft amnesty law.

Amidst the violence, a spokeswoman for the far-right Vox party clarified that while they did not endorse the violent acts witnessed during the protests, they supported the overall anti-government sentiment.

In response to the protests, Pedro Sanchez denounced the violence and labeled the protesters as "reactionaries." On social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, he expressed his support for the Socialist Party members who faced harassment at their local headquarters, stating that attacking the party's headquarters was an attack on democracy.

The approval of the draft amnesty law is crucial for Sanchez, as failure to form a new government by November 27 would trigger new elections to be held on January 14. This legislation is seen as a means to garner support from pro-independence party lawmakers, which is essential for government formation.

The situation remains tense as Spain grapples with the repercussions of its amnesty plan and the deep divides caused by Catalonia's bid for independence.