The final stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race has been abandoned because of huge pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid.

Thousands of protesters gathered in the Spanish capital, invading the course where the race was due to pass in the centre of Madrid, AFP journalists witnessed.

On Gran Via, where cyclists were due to pass multiple times, protestors knocked down barriers and marched into the road, some chanting for a boycott of Israel as green and red smoke filled the air. Near Atocha, Madrid’s central train station, police charged demonstrators and fired tear gas, before letting them walk into the road.

Riders, around 56 kilometres from the finish of the race, came to a halt before the Vuelta was abandoned.

Authorities ramped up security for the final stage in Madrid ahead of the expected large protests but could not stop the race from being abandoned.