Complaints about sexist violence towards Inigo Errejón, the now former parliamentary speaker of Sumar, the PSOE companion in Pedro Sánchez's authorities coalition, triggers a crossfire between left-wing events in Spain.
As a result of whereas the previous MP Errejón is piling up new allegations towards him – along with that of actress Elisa Mouliaá, there’s additionally that of a journalist and nameless testimonies proceed to be printed – Spanish politics are demanding tasks and resignations which might be at the moment out of the query on the left, the Errejón traveled is able to take over.
To grasp the extent of the shock from which Spanish progressivism is struggling – and whose shock wave is reaching the Sánchez authorities – with the autumn of Iñigo Errejón, considered one of its most charismatic younger voices and with a feminist discourse that was applauded inside his celebration is critical to recollect his political profession: Errejón, 40 years previous, was one of many founders, together with Pablo Iglesias, from Podemosa formation that he left in 2019 to hitch Más Madrid, the celebration he based along with former Madrid mayor Manuela Carmena.
He moved from the regional to the nationwide and inside three years based his third political power: Más País.
In the summertime of 2022, present Vice President and Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz launched the Sumar Platform, which grew to become a celebration that competed within the basic elections in July final 12 months. Regularly, Sumar included forces lively to the left of the PSOE, and Más País was diluted into Sumar.
Yolanda Díaz wished to unite a fragmented left, and for the overall elections of July 23, 2023, she managed to annex Podemos and Más Madrid, forces strengthened by the transition of Iñigo Errejón, who grew to become Sumar's spokesman in January of this 12 months Congress.
At this time in Sumar, in Más Madrid and in Podemos They are saying “being in shock” given the violent and misogynistic particulars attributed to Errejón and aired within the complaints towards him.
As well as, there are public and veiled counter-accusations.
Rita's letter
From Más Madrid, on Monday, its three most consultant faces gave a press convention: the present Minister of Well being and co-spokesperson of the celebration, Mónica García; the regional spokesperson, the Argentinian Manuela Bergerot, and the municipal spokesperson, Rita Maestre.
Maestre was Iñigo Errejón's girlfriend. Earlier than showing earlier than journalists, he printed a letter on his social networks: “As everybody is aware of, Iñigo Errejón and I have been a pair for a number of years and, though we had been estranged for a very long time, every thing that got here to mild this week overwhelming.” “It’s notably stunning,” Maestre admitted. As a result of I'm now discovering out that among the episodes of misogynistic habits and violence reported by victims really occurred when the attacker was nonetheless my companion.”
“A traditional-looking particular person, a 'good buddy', was additionally a misogynist “who returned dwelling usually after attacking a 20-year-old lady in a lodge,” he identified.
“He mustn’t have been a deputy or spokesman”
“It’s clear that he mustn’t have been a deputy or spokesman,” admitted Yolanda Díaz. However we’ve got this info as of this week.”
Final Thursday, Errejón resigned on the request of the vice chairman. This occurred when some nameless complaints posted on a journalist's Instagram account tipped him off about this “manipulative”, “aggressive” and “outrageous”“. Errejón admitted to sexist habits and resigned. On the identical day, actress Elisa Mouliaá filed her grievance about abuse she allegedly suffered three years in the past.
For now, the federal government helps Sumar's measures. This Tuesday, speaker Pilar Alegría defended Yolanda Díaz, describing her resolution to expel Errejón from the celebration as “diligent, fast and forceful.”
From the opposition, the Folks's Occasion and Vox accuse the minority celebration of the coalition authorities to cowl up the scandal.
On Monday, Rita Maestre defended herself to the press: “The expression 'everybody knew and everybody coated it up.'” I don't know what “everybody” is speaking about. They don't discuss me. They don’t discuss somebody from Más Madrid,” Maestre stated.
The 2023 precedent
This week's conflicting allegations stem from an episode in 2023. Final June, throughout a competition in Castellón, within the Valencian Group, Iñigo Errejón attacked a lady whose cock he touched with out her consent. At the moment, Yolanda Díaz was engaged on assembling her celebration's candidacies for the July 23 elections: Errejón was fourth on the checklist she led.
The sexual assault on the competition was reported in a tweet that was later deleted from the networks. Más Madrid now says that an investigation was launched on the time, which was later concluded with the disappearance of the digital grievance.
At this competition, the now former deputy was with Loreto Arenillas, his former chief of employees and deputy of Más Madrid. She was dismissed from the celebration on Fridaythough he has not but submitted his parliamentary minutes.
Arenillas defends himself: “I didn’t cowl up this or every other episode. What I did was to tell the sufferer about redress choices via a gender agent, as is often the case in such instances,” his protection learn on X (ex Twitter).
“I additionally reprimanded Errejón and requested him to hunt assist and abandoning behaviors that hurt girls. “I knowledgeable the celebration’s then organizational secretary, Manuela Bergerot, present spokesperson for the Más Madrid parliamentary group, in addition to the feminism secretary, Cristina Castillo, about what was occurring,” she defined.
On Monday, Bergerot acknowledged the sport efficiency It was “insufficient and as a company we apologize.”
“As an alternative of masking up or hiding info, I reported,” Arenillas stated.
Why was the case closed?
“The celebration management didn’t think about the details related to lift to larger our bodies, nor did it make them public, nor did it activate the procedures set out in our statutes and inner guidelines. Later, the grievance disappeared on the networks and nobody thought that this incident required additional motion,” he argued.
Yolanda Díaz gave her model: “I’m conscious of this lady's grievance through tweet. Más Madrid informs us that an investigation is underway. They later instructed me that this lady ended up eradicating that tweet.“.
“I do know we arrived late and that's why I apologize,” Díaz apologized.
However Podemos insists that they They warned “the one that may do one thing about it, specifically Yolanda Díaz.”
The decide investigating the actress's grievance towards the previous deputy requested the Chamber of Deputies to report on the situation of Iñigo Errejón, who offered his parliamentary report final week. This can be a process to substantiate that the previous deputy doesn’t have jurisdiction earlier than the Spanish Supreme Courtroom and that he can then begin investigating the case. The actress who reported him, Elisa Mouliaá, has to testify after which Errejón is summoned. Nothing has been heard from him since his resignation.