A driver is being investigated by Spanish police after he crashed into cyclists taking part in a Critical Mass-style bike ride in Madrid to express solidarity with Palestine.

The incident happened on Thursday evening on the ride organised by the Bicicritica collective, with five of the cyclists sustaining minor injuries, reports The Olive Press.

Bicicritica holds regular rides in Madrid to call for safer infrastructure and promote active travel, but Thursday’s event was dedicated to showing support for the Palestinian people due to the conflict with Israel.

Footage posted to social media shows the driver, who was in a Seat Leon car, knocking over several of cyclists before driving away.

According to messages on Bicicritica’s Telegram channel, the driver initially tried to pass the riders on the San Bernardo roundabout, knocking one of them from their bike.

Cyclists taking part in the ride tried to block his progress on via Alberto Aguilera, with one saying that “he accelerated and knocked a number of them over, fleeing the scene by hitting a number of other people.”

The motorist is reported to have subsequently handed himself in to the Policia Nacional, although he claimed that the incident had begun when he and his partner, who was a passenger in the car, had been assaulted by some of the cyclists.

He was not arrested, and tested negative for alcohol. Police are investigating him in relation to a potential charge of dangerous driving.