Feijóo questions Sánchez's feminism: "They should tell that to the brothels"

MadridThe cases of alleged sexual harassment within the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and the mishandling of complaints against former leader and high-ranking official at Moncloa Palace, Paco Salazar, have become the PP's (People's Party) preferred weapon against Pedro Sánchez. This Wednesday, a new scandal provided the Popular Party with even more ammunition. Hours after allegations against the president of the Lugo Provincial Council, José Tomé, were made public, this other Socialist official was forced to resign, although he proclaimed his innocence. In response, Alberto Núñez Feijóo declared the flank of the now former Attorney General to be neutralized, and the following day... the publication of the controversial conviction Following the Supreme Court's decision to indict Álvaro García Ortiz, the leader of the People's Party (PP) focused his final head-to-head debate of the year with the Spanish Prime Minister on an issue that deeply pains the Socialists: questioning his legitimacy to champion feminism. This comes on top of the damage caused by the derogatory remarks about women made by former party organization secretary José Luis Ábalos. Just this Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld his indictment in the case investigating alleged irregularities in public contracts awarded during his tenure as Minister of Transport, and Congress suspended him as a member of parliament. "The root of the problem isn't any of your people. It's you, and now the women in your party know it," Feijóo stated, going even further and using prostitution to discredit the Socialist leader.

"After what we've seen, the lesson on feminism should have been explained to the brothels," the leader of the opposition said in response to Sánchez's argument against these attacks. The Spanish Prime Minister defended himself by claiming that "feminism teaches everyone lessons." "Me first," said Sánchez, who had already made this point at an event with the UGT union on Tuesday. The Spanish Prime Minister stated that sexual harassment is "a systemic, structural problem," not just within his party, and accused the PP of being an obstacle to tackling this scourge due to "the denialist threat" it poses with Vox. For his part, Santiago Abascal accused Sánchez of being a "danger" to women. However, it wasn't the far right but the PP that dwelled on the issue, repeatedly using the prostitution card. Sources within the PP leadership have defended this strategy and have indicated that they will go all out on this issue to try to capture the feminist vote disillusioned with a PSOE that "has failed at everything".

"I would have liked to question [María Jesús] Montero, but she hasn't come and has no appointments until 4 p.m. She has been very brave in covering up the cases of sexual harassment against her colleagues and very cowardly in not coming here to face the music," Muñoz said, referring to the fact that neither the First Vice President nor the Deputy First Vice President, who have been rightly accused of complicity in Salazar's actions, attended the plenary session. Muñoz again used prostitution as a weapon and extended the attack to Sánchez's parliamentary allies. "These partners, faced with corruption and prostitution, prefer to maintain this government. Now that we know there are cases of sexual harassment, do they still prefer this government to Feijóo governing?" she asked.

New case and the shadow of legal action

"Sánchez is someone who has lived off prostitution without question, so who should be surprised that he has chosen figures of that nature to govern the PSOE and Spain?" Muñoz insisted. The Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, reproached him, saying that his intervention "would shame Feijóo in 2022." Sources at La Moncloa denied any fear of further complaints against PSOE officials following the Lugo scandal, although they encouraged anyone to file a complaint if necessary. "Zero tolerance for such behavior," they stated. Socialist sources explained that proceedings have been initiated to provisionally suspend Tomé's party membership and have demanded that, in addition to resigning as president of the Provincial Council, he also relinquish his positions as a member of parliament for Lugo and as mayor of Monforte de Lemos.

Meanwhile, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) took a counterattack, filing a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office against the Popular Party mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce, for sexual harassment. Landaluce remained in office but temporarily resigned his PP (People's Party) membership over the matter. Hazte Oír (Make Yourself Heard), the far-right association involved in the main legal cases concerning Sánchez's inner circle, has also made its move, announcing a new lawsuit in the Madrid courts related to the Salazar case. This lawsuit targets Sánchez for sexual harassment and offenses against moral integrity, as well as his former right-hand man, Antonio Hernández, who was dismissed this past weekend, and the Spanish government's delegate in Madrid and former Secretary General of the Presidency at Moncloa Palace, Francisco Martín Aguirre, for obstruction of justice and dereliction of duty. If successful, this will be yet another legal headache for the Spanish president.