The PP stars in an incident with pepper spray that has forced the evacuation of three floors in Congress

BarcelonaCongress has sealed off three restrooms and a dining room after someone emptied a spray containing a toxic substance there. Three floors of the building have been evacuated, including the kitchen area. Twelve people from different areas of the chamber have received medical assistance, among them several kitchen workers and a member of the Mauritanian delegation.

A worker felt unwell after inhaling the substance and other employees experienced itching. In fact, Vox requested the evacuation of its floor after some workers noticed discomfort there. The gas could have concentrated in the restrooms and spread through the ventilation ducts.

The affected areas remain sealed off and are awaiting checks by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The chamber is reviewing security cameras to clarify what happened and plans to issue a statement regarding the viewing of the footage. The incident will also have to be recorded in a report by the police and the chamber's legal counsel.

The expulsion of Ana Vázquez

The President of the Congress, Francina Armengol, expelled PP deputy Ana Vázquez from the chamber this Wednesday after she displayed a canister of pepper spray during the government control session. Armengol called her to order twice and asked her to leave the chamber and leave the spray outside.

"I must call the deputy to order for having shown a weapon in the plenary session," stated Armengol, who defended the decision by applying the Congress regulations. Vázquez ended up leaving the chamber amidst applause from a large part of the popular bench.

After the incident, Vázquez claimed that the canister was empty and questioned Armengol's actions. "What do you mean, Armengol, that the children of Ceuta go to school with weapons? That all women carry weapons?", asked the deputy, who argued that many women carry sprays of this type to protect themselves.

The popular deputy stated that she wants to give a voice to the women and girls of Ceuta. Vázquez also announced that she will take the canister to a police station and that she will take measures against the presidency of the Congress. All this, amidst the debate over insecurity in the autonomous city.

The version of a PP worker

The PP maintain that Vázquez, who is a police officer, knows how these types of sprays work and that it is in no way a weapon. According to this version, the deputy had already warned the party on Tuesday that she would bring the empty canister, which they compare to carrying a deodorant can.

According to the account of a PP employee, Vázquez handed him the canister after having emptied it on the street and asked him to wash it because there were traces on the outside. The employee explains that he washed it, dried it, and activated it twice in the men's restroom to check that no product remained inside. Upon doing so, a small amount of substance allegedly came out. The employee assures that he did not notice any effect nor smell anything.

About ten minutes after initially refusing to hand over the canister, Vázquez went to a police station to deliver it.

The weapons regulation

Armengol's team has justified the decision with article 5.1.i of the weapons regulation, which includes personal defense sprays and other weapons that release gases or aerosols among the prohibited objects. The same article, however, establishes an exception for sprays authorized by the Ministry of Health, which can be sold in armories to people of legal age. Therefore, the regulation considers them weapons for regulatory purposes, but does not consider all sprays illegal.