Hundreds of people gathered in central Madrid on Saturday to call for better protection for LGBT rights after a series of homophobic attacks that have shocked Spain in recent months. People waved rainbow flags and carried banners reading: “justice”, “touch one of us, touch us all”, “we are being killed”. “We are here to protest against the continuous homophobic attacks and the constant aggressions that happen weekend after weekend,” said protester Gabriel Escribano. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday chaired an urgent meeting of ministers, community leaders and police to discuss how to reduce hate crimes, which have been growing by around 9% a year since 2014, according to the Interior Ministry.