Feijóo distances himself from Ayuso and calls for an investigation into Julio Iglesias: "The allegations are very serious"

BarcelonaThe scandal of the sexual assault allegations against Julio Iglesias, already investigated by the Prosecutor's Office of the National CourtThe revelations have shaken state politics. Reactions to the published information have ranged from the absolute condemnation by Sumar—which is already demanding the removal of the singer's medals—to the defense of Iglesias by the most conservative wing of the PP, led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso. But for the Popular Party, it is an uncomfortable issue, and the position is not unanimous. The party leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has supported the ongoing investigations: "The allegations are very serious," he acknowledged on Telecinco. Feijóo thus distanced himself from the Madrid president, who on Tuesday, in a tweet, downplayed the allegations of Iglesias's former employees—"The raped women are in Iran," she wrote—and said that the Community of Madrid "will never contribute to the discrediting [...] The leader of his own party, on the contrary, confessed to being "very, very surprised" by the information revealed by Eldiario.es and Univision News and has supported the ongoing investigations: he said that "it is important to know if this [the assaults and abuses] is true."

We need to know "exactly what's going on, if anything," she later clarified, in a calculated balancing act. It's no coincidence that Díaz Ayuso isn't the only one who has come to Iglesias's defense in recent hours. The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, also downplayed the accusations, following the request from Más Madrid and the PSOE to revoke the singer's title of Favorite Son of the Spanish capital, awarded in 2015, as well as the Community's Gold Medal (2012). "Why should we do that?" Almeida responded on Tuesday in statements to the media. "No intention whatsoever, at this time," he asserted.

The Popular Party is hiding behind the presumption of innocence to avoid taking action against a symbol of traditional Spanish culture, but the left counters that this is not incompatible with stripping him of his honors. "Criminal responsibility is one thing, and ethical responsibility is another," Vice President Yolanda Díaz said this Wednesday on TVE, convinced that an "exemplary" response is necessary in cases of alleged abuse such as those attributed to Julio Iglesias.

In this regard, the Minister of Labor also announced that the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, will soon make decisions regarding the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, awarded by the Spanish government to Julio Iglesias in 2009. Díaz also called for "support" for Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who has been accused of "sexism"—as has former Podemos minister Irene Montero—for defending Iglesias: "What she is doing is siding with the alleged aggressor."

The PSOE defends going "all the way"

Meanwhile, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) is advocating for a thorough investigation into the allegations: "No impunity in any area of society," declared the spokesperson for the Spanish government, Elma Saiz, on Tuesday, echoing the sentiments expressed by the Minister of Equality on social media. "Without questioning the presumption of innocence, in Spain the law protects victims," she stated. However, neither has clarified their position on the removal of medals from Iglesias. "One can be an excellent singer and artist but have a very dark, very sexist side," was all Redondo would say.