Sporting director Oscar Guerrero said his Israel-Premier Tech cycling team has received death threats.

“We are afraid,” he said, according to local media.

In view of the pro-Palestinian protests during this year’s Vuelta a España, he asked for “the team not to be attacked.”

The protests disrupted stage 11 of the cycling race on Wednesday, forcing it to end without a winner.

Demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags gathered near the finish line, prompting officials to halt the stage three kilometres before the end.

Before, the peloton had been briefly stopped in the neutral zone before police cleared the road.

There have been several incidents on previous days of the event, with the Israel-Premier Tech team the particular target of protests.

The Israeli team also faced isolated protests during the Tour de France due to the conflict in Gaza.

There had been discussion on whether the team should withdraw from the Vuelta, but Israel-Premier Tech has refused to give up.

“Any other course of action would set a dangerous precedent in cycling, not only for Israel-Premier Tech, but for all teams,” the director said in a statement. 

(dpa/NAN)