Spain's Socialists file complaint over 'lynching' of PM piñata
Spain's ruling Socialists said Friday they had filed a complaint over the "lynching" of a dummy of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during a far-right rally on New Year's Eve.
The incident followed weeks of tension following Sánchez's return to power after he secured the backing of Catalan separatists in exchange for a controversial amnesty law linked to their failed 2017 independence bid.
The amnesty bill has brought thousands of right-wing and far-right protesters onto the streets in recent weeks, with rallies outside the Socialist party's Madrid headquarters often degenerating into scuffles with police.
At one protest on New Year's Eve, a suited dummy representing the prime minister was strung up from a traffic light and beaten, punched and kicked by demonstrators as they chanted anti-Sánchez slogans.
¿Qué está pasando en Ferraz? ¿Qué hace un chino inflando a la piñata de Sánchez? 😂 pic.twitter.com/7bWpokgEcU
— Sr.Liberal🇪🇸 (@SrLiberal) December 31, 2023
In a complaint filed with prosecutors, a copy of which was seen by AFP, the Socialist party called for investigators to identify "those responsible for making the dummy representing the prime minister and those who led the lynching efforts".
Esto que coño es ?? No se si es peor los nazis pegando a un Pedro Sánchez con brazalete nazi o el simple hecho de pasar Nochevieja en Ferraz.
Si España no existiera habría que inventarla pic.twitter.com/xEad7FaQKC
— Niicooo 😶🌫️ (@Niico_Cabreraa) December 31, 2023
Last month, the party filed a complaint against far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal over comments suggesting Sánchez would meet a dictator's end and be strung up "by his feet".
The complaint accused him of inciting "hatred" and "violence" towards Sánchez and his party.
In the latest complaint, the party said the incident outside its headquarters on New Year's Eve went "one step further" with historical language such as "Happy 1936".
The reference to 1936 was in connection with the start of Spain's civil war when a military pustch against the Socialist-led Republican government sparked a three-year conflict and nearly four decades of dictatorship under Francisco Franco until 1975.
Comments
See Also
The incident followed weeks of tension following Sánchez's return to power after he secured the backing of Catalan separatists in exchange for a controversial amnesty law linked to their failed 2017 independence bid.
The amnesty bill has brought thousands of right-wing and far-right protesters onto the streets in recent weeks, with rallies outside the Socialist party's Madrid headquarters often degenerating into scuffles with police.
At one protest on New Year's Eve, a suited dummy representing the prime minister was strung up from a traffic light and beaten, punched and kicked by demonstrators as they chanted anti-Sánchez slogans.
¿Qué está pasando en Ferraz? ¿Qué hace un chino inflando a la piñata de Sánchez? 😂 pic.twitter.com/7bWpokgEcU
— Sr.Liberal🇪🇸 (@SrLiberal) December 31, 2023
In a complaint filed with prosecutors, a copy of which was seen by AFP, the Socialist party called for investigators to identify "those responsible for making the dummy representing the prime minister and those who led the lynching efforts".
Esto que coño es ?? No se si es peor los nazis pegando a un Pedro Sánchez con brazalete nazi o el simple hecho de pasar Nochevieja en Ferraz.
— Niicooo 😶🌫️ (@Niico_Cabreraa) December 31, 2023
Si España no existiera habría que inventarla pic.twitter.com/xEad7FaQKC
Last month, the party filed a complaint against far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal over comments suggesting Sánchez would meet a dictator's end and be strung up "by his feet".
The complaint accused him of inciting "hatred" and "violence" towards Sánchez and his party.
In the latest complaint, the party said the incident outside its headquarters on New Year's Eve went "one step further" with historical language such as "Happy 1936".
The reference to 1936 was in connection with the start of Spain's civil war when a military pustch against the Socialist-led Republican government sparked a three-year conflict and nearly four decades of dictatorship under Francisco Franco until 1975.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.