Santiago de Compostela, December 15 (EFE). – Dozens of socialist men, including mayors, former MPs and activists, joined this Monday the manifesto in which they criticize the PSdeG leadership in the José Tomé case and support their colleague Silvia Fraga, who resigned as Minister of Equality due to disagreements in the handling of the sexual harassment complaint against the former party leader in Lugo.
The signatories, which already number over 200 people, include the former president of Xunta Fernando González Laxe, the former parliamentary speaker of the PSdeG Xoaquín Fernández Leiceaga and the mayor of Ames (A Coruña), Blas García, who had already criticized the management’s actions last week.
This Monday, the mayor of A Coruña, Inés Rey, addressed her. She appreciated everyone’s progress and felt that the support of “the powerful men” of the party had been “lacking” to date.
“I miss my male colleagues going out to talk,” said Rey, who insisted on asking: “Where are the feminist men” of the Galician PSOE?
In the manifesto they emphasize that “there is no place for measures that protect or relativize sexual harassment and machismo”.
As “loyalty to the party,” the signatories defend the need to clarify the facts, protect the victims and preserve the integrity of the institutions. Therefore, they call for “decisive, transparent and coherent action” as the only means to maintain citizens’ trust and show that “there is no room for impunity or any form of violence against women.”
In the text, they emphasize that the well-known facts of harassment and complaints presented in the internal channel cause “daze, shame and dissatisfaction” in a party that “has feminism enshrined in its soul” and warn that they cannot be “apathetic” in the face of Fraga’s resignation after the “exemplary work” he has done.
Those who sign the text and describe themselves as “socialist activists and women” are addressing their fellow activists as well as sympathizers and citizens in general to publicly express their support for the female victims of sexual harassment, whom they denounced for their “act of courage.”
They call for “transparency in the resolution of these complaints” and to ensure “rigorous processes, always aimed at protecting victims,” with a “quick, clear and forceful” response based on “exemplary and political responsibility,” especially those who hold organic positions.
“Zero tolerance is not a motto, it is a democratic demand that does not allow for exceptions or nuances and is an inalienable part of socialist values,” they warn. EFE
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