Internal discontent over the scandal involving former Moncloa councilor Francisco Salazar is spreading like wildfire across the socialist federations and is already threatening to ignite a political conflagration in Ferraz. Despite the federal leadership’s attempts to downplay the matter, every step the party has taken since elDiario.es revealed that the party ignored two complaints of sexual harassment with a former Moncloa councilor has only made matters worse. That is why many leaders are demanding clarifications from the party officials who should have investigated these complaints.
“This matter cannot be settled as if nothing had happened. We want them to explain to us what happened, what was done and how far we are willing to go in this matter that tarnishes the initials of a party that carries the banner of feminism,” complains a senior official of the Andalusian Socialist Workers Party. In the midst of the scandal, and in the face of a growing number of critical voices, the Minister of Equality of the Socialist Workers’ Party, Pilar Bernabe, urgently summoned those responsible for this membership portfolio in the Socialist Unions to a remote meeting on Wednesday evening.
The truth is that it raised the challenge at the request of equality officials in the various federations, who, in an internal conversation they shared on WhatsApp, demanded all kinds of clarifications about the scandal that the party tried to hide and the reason for the escalation of complaints from the anti-harassment channel. For 48 hours there was a torrent of requests for information and shared indignation. “It is incomprehensible that they initially say that once he was discharged from military service, it was not possible to continue the investigation into Salazar, and then later assert that even though he is no longer a member, the file will continue on its course,” they reprimanded him.
Bernabé responded in that conversation that, legally, nothing could be done, thus returning to the first explanation that Ferraz gave to elDiario.es last Friday when he asked about the disappearance of complaints. The question they immediately asked him was what the process would be like when there was a complaint again and the aggrieved colleague gave up membership. “There is no need for a protocol for this,” one regional official said.
The Federal Minister for Equality, who during these five months was not interested in developing the internal investigation that, as it turned out, was never carried out, apologized publicly on Wednesday and now seems determined to take charge of the investigations, after the lack of interest that had existed for several months in the field of the Anti-Harassment Committee, in the secretariat of the organization and in its regulatory field. They conclude from the socialist leadership that “the lack of success of the system is undeniable evidence at this point and that we will have to pay penance for it as well.”
The leadership that does not live between the walls of Ferraz and Moncloa Street, in addition to the questioning of the organization’s official, Rebeca Toro, also refers to the first vice president and deputy secretary general of the Socialist Workers’ Party and leader of the Andalusian Socialists, María Jesús Montero, where the former advisor to the president was active in her group and worked for years alongside the Minister of Finance as well. Another leader says: “Salazar has been protected throughout these months by the Andalusian leadership, with whose members he has maintained a stable and flexible relationship.”
María Jesús Montero said publicly on Wednesday that the victims would have all her support and that of the PSOE, but last July she addressed some women in her party for accusing them of “wanting to destroy the lives of their colleagues” and “supporting those who want to put an end to the PSOE,” according to some of those questioned. It is also no coincidence that Montero has in the Andalusian leadership Francisco Rodríguez as secretary of the organization, who is considered the political son of Salazar and a close friend of the condemned man. Or that Rodriguez himself, who is also the mayor of Dos Hermanas (Seville), was the first to come out in defense of Salazar last July. “For my friend I put my hand in the fire,” he said flatly, before questioning the victims’ testimonies.
From Moncloa, they now regret that the party was not up to the task and suspect that Ferraz “hid information from the head of government.” This is what a person close to Pedro Sánchez believes, who confirms that when the PSOE Secretary General read the writings of the complainants on elDiario.es “he had no doubt about the importance of the matter” and demanded that Toro provide explanations to which he was not interested for five months.
Straight to the heart of progressive voters
The feeling in other areas of the PSOE is that, after knowing the scope of the scandal, Moncloa and the PSOE are trying to hold each other responsible for what happened, but the truth is that there is no doubt that those who live in the presidential complex and those who live in Ferraz are one and the same and that they are having difficulty dividing their jobs to escape responsibility for their apparent inaction. “This hurts us as much as Santos Cerdán going to prison, because the scandal goes straight to the hearts of women progressive voters, which has largely given us victory in 2023,” admits one party leader.
After saying last Monday that the party had acted diligently on the issue, Equality Minister Ana Redondo on Wednesday described as “disgusting and despicable” the comments made by former socialist militant and ex-chancellor Francisco Salazar against women who worked with him and who reported inappropriate behavior in Ferraz’s internal channels. He also asked his organization to be “more stringent” in selecting membership positions. Organized feminist women warn that the SWP is not measuring the deep discomfort running through the party over the issue.
What the Socialist Workers’ Party could not achieve in five months, it was able to accomplish in just 48 hours. This is exactly the time that passed between the information published by this newspaper and the party’s decision now to make itself available to victims. After publicizing the disappearance of two sexual harassment complaints against Francisco Salazar in the party’s internal channel and shelving the investigation, Ferraz contacted the two complainants on Tuesday through that internal channel to begin the processing stipulated in the Socialist Anti-Harassment Protocol.
The complainants confirm to this newspaper that they have now received notifications proving that their writings have been accepted for processing. Therefore, the investigation is ongoing after nearly half a year without receiving any response. As this newspaper reported exclusively, the complaints date back to July 8 and 28 respectively, and have disappeared from the SWP’s computer system for several weeks.
Although Ferraz tried to justify with all sorts of arguments that the internal investigation had been cut short since the complaints were filed, the party’s actions since elDiario.es published this case disavow this twisted argument. First, there were no complaints, then because the anonymity made the investigation very difficult, then the computer system was “blacked out,” and finally, because Salazar’s lack of combativeness made it pointless to investigate further. But all that changed in just two days.
“We are at your disposal for everything you need, want to do or want to consult,” reads the letter a complainant received on Tuesday after no one from the party contacted her for five months to investigate the case. The received notification says: “Your message continues to be processed, and when it finishes producing the corresponding final report, it will be sent to you.”
Also throughout Tuesday, the complainant was contacted, who officially registered her writing on the PSOE internal channel on 28 July. She, who denounced, among other things, that Salazar “raised his fly in your face and played a tongue-twister,” did not even receive acknowledgment of receipt of her letter. His complaints about the system also disappeared. It was only after her situation was announced via this newspaper that she received a response from her party, even asking for help with her letter because she had been exposed to an “unbreathable” work environment.
The party informed the second complainant that her letter, recorded on 28 July, had now arrived, a confirmation which she had had to wait for five months. As in the case of her partner, the PSOE makes himself available to her for whatever she needs and tells her that he will keep her informed of the procedure.