Podemos uses Errejón to defend itself against Monedero's alleged sexual abuse
"Saying goodbye to someone with honours means making them a parliamentary spokesperson and putting them on the lists," says Belarra
MadridThe allegations of alleged sexual abuse against Juan Carlos Monedero have put Podemos in the spotlight, which maintains that its actions were correct when it "removed" him, in September 2023. "We activated the protocol immediately. From the moment we met the witnesses, we made ourselves available to the victims, who, for this reason, gave the media attention this Friday in reference to several witnesses they received a year and a half ago against one of the co-founders of the party. Faced with criticism for not continuing the investigation of the cases that had reached them and for not publicly denouncing Monedero, Belarra has used the scarecrow of the Íñigo Errejón scandal to defend itself.
"Saying goodbye to someone with honours is making him a parliamentary spokesman and putting him on lists," he said, referring to Yolanda Díaz's decision on the former spokesperson for Sumar in Congress when he was already aware of an anonymous complaint against him that was published on Twitter in June 2023. Podemos admitted that it was also aware of it and attacked the second vice president, stressing that they unsuccessfully asked Díaz to remove Errejón, former founder of the purple party but already disassociated from the formation at that time. "We removed Monedero as soon as we became aware. Despite the fact that he no longer held any organic position. We did what we had to do," Belarra insisted. Monedero, however, denies that anyone has removed him from anything - he left the foundation of Podemos in 2023, but continued to do events with the party without anyone communicating anything to him and continued to collaborate with Canal Red, Pablo Iglesias' platform, until January 2024. Asked on the street this Friday if he was fired, the co.
In fact, three months after removing him, Belarra published a message on X expressing friendly support for Monedero. "It's indecent what they give you. A big hug," she said in response to a post in which the party's co-founder denounced the existence of a "supposed file" against him. Podemos denied that it was anything related to sexual abuse but that it was an alleged file that Belarra had opened in Monedero to criticise Irene Montero.
Adding avoids controversy
For her part, Díaz did not want to confront Belarra and limited herself to expressing "solidarity with the victims" in the face of a "very serious" matter that, she stressed, she is learning about through the media, and to asking that "the appropriate investigations be carried out." Sumar sources stressed that they will not enter into this "dirty game" of making comparisons between cases in a matter "so serious" that, they admit, it harms their political space globally. The PP was quick to criticise the "cynicism and hypocrisy" of the left and its "cheap feminism," in the words of the number two of the popular party, Cuca Gamarra. As happened with Errejón, the question looms as to whether her fellow members had no suspicions about her behaviour or whether they had already received a case.
A previous complaint in 2016
According to information fromEldiario.es Published this Friday, the party already received a first complaint against Monedero in 2016. At that time Podemos still did not have a protocol against harassment, but the affected woman, a party activist, would have explained that she experienced a "serious episode" with him in which another woman would also have been affected after an event. Podemos, led by Iglesias, told the women that the party would support them if they decided to report the events to the police, but no internal investigation was opened nor was any action taken against Monedero.
It was not until September 2023 when Podemos took the step of disassociating itself by announcing that Monedero was leaving the Fundación Democracia y República, linked to Podemos. Belarra denied that they were aware of any complaints before this moment and defended the party's actions with the victims, who asked them for "anonymity" and "discretion." "They acted correctly," she said, and insisted that the procedure is open and available to anyone who wants to file a complaint. She also attacked the media coverage of the case: "There is a lot of interest in explaining that Podemos always does everything wrong," Belarra complained.