In his letter, the Spanish president denounced the citizens’ “strategy of harassment and demolition” that “has been perpetrated for months” by the right and ultra-right. We review the accusations and insults against Pedro Sánchez in recent months.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, denounced this Wednesday in his letter the “strategy of harassment and demolition” that “has been perpetrated for months” by “a coalition of right-wing and ultra-right-wing interests” against his person, the “political project he represents”, and now against his wife, Begoña Gómez. We take a brief look at the different episodes related to “this unprecedented attack”:
“Let Txapote vote for you, Sánchez!” The phrase has been used by the Spanish right to criticise Pedro Sánchez and link him to ETA (Txapote is the nickname of the member of the extinct ETA, Xabier García Gaztelu) for having received the support of EH Bildu to carry out his two investitures.
Although the origin of the slogan dates back to September 2022, the phrase gained strength in February 2023 when it was used by the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, in a speech at a plenary session of the Madrid Assembly. Since then, the slogan was used by both the right and the far right and reached its zenith during the electoral campaign for the general elections (23 July), to the point that several victims’ associations such as Covite or the Fernando Buesa Foundation demanded that it not be used.
“I like fruit.” A few months later, in November 2023, during Sánchez’s investiture, popular leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso insulted Sánchez, whom she called a “son of a bitch”, as captured by the cameras recording the guest gallery. Far from retracting, the Madrid president justified the insult because, in her opinion, Sánchez dedicated his speech “to defame her” to her and her family, and uttered the now famous phrase “The least I say is that I say quietly, I like fruit”.
Ayuso acknowledges that she insulted Sánchez: ”He took the opportunity to defame me and my family”
Beating of a Pedro Sanchez doll. A far-right rally on December 31, 2023 in front of the PSOE headquarters in Madrid simulated the hanging and beating of the Spanish president using a doll. The Socialists reported facts to the Prosecutor’s Office for an alleged hate crime, although they were finally archived by a judge two months later.
Far-right hang and beat a doll of Pedro Sánchez in Ferraz
Complaint by the PP against Sánchez for “conflict of interest”. A month ago, in March 2024, the PP denounced Sánchez to the Office of Conflicts of Interest for not being absent from the Councils of Ministers that decided, among other things, to rescue Air Europa. According to them, the socialist leader should not have been present because that company “had economic and professional ties with his wife, Begoña Gómez.” The complaint was dismissed by the entity that argued with Gómez “does not have and has not had any employment or professional relationship that involves the exercise of management, advisory or administrative functions in these entities”.
Opening of proceedings against Gómez. In early April 2024, the far-right pseudo-union Manos Limpias denounced Pedro Sánchez’s partner for the alleged crimes of influence peddling and corruption in business. The judge of the Madrid Court decreed the opening of the investigation proceedings.
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