Tumult in Congress as Alonso refuses to resign (UPDATED)
Jose Antonio Alonso’s refusal to resign after three police officers were convicted of illegally arresting two PP members led to a tumultuous session in the Congress of Deputies yesterday. Alonso is currently the defense minister, and was interior minister when the PP members were arrested. PP deputies received Alonso with chants of “Resign, resign” in Congress, and speaker Manuel Marin expelled PP deputy Vicente Martinez Pujalte from the chamber, the first expulsion in many years.
This was Alonso’s first appearance in Congress as defense minister. As the PP deputies chanted and stamped their feet, Alonso said, “This is the Spain that the PP wants, a Spain of confrontation, the manipulation of Parliament based on lies. It’s their style, nothing new.” PP spokesman Eduardo Zaplana announced that his party would call for a reprimand of Marin for expelling Pujalte. “Party members arrested, deputies expelled. This is the PSOE’s Spain,” said Zaplana.
PP deputy Ana Belen Vazquez then took the floor and claimed that a PSOE deputy had made “obscene and sexist” gestures at her during the tumult. Marin promised to review the videotape of the session.
This comes afterwards the Government Delegate in Madrid had to resign because of the same detentions and three policemen had been condemned to 11 years in jail.
It is the first time police officers have been jailed on charges of this kind since democracy returned to Spain in 1975 with the death of the dictator Francisco Franco.
The incredible thing is that Vicepresident De La Vega has stated the Government “asumes its responsibilities“. Well, I do not know to what Government belonged Alonso then…
comments (mode irony on) -in Spanish in the original-:
I have received some gossip, which said that some dictatorships from all the world are going to fly their political Kommmisars to Madrid to receive classes of how you can repress the oposition without affecting the Party’s high figures.
he,he,he…
UPDATE: Barcepundit writes also about this.
