It all broke out on Tuesday morning. The journalist Cristina Fallarás made public some anonymous messages that denounced that a “well-known politician from Madrid” was a “psychological abuser” and a “true monster.” And the snowball began to grow inside Sumar. Although these messages did not explicitly mention Íñigo Errejón, everyone in the coalition led by Yolanda Díaz understood that they were referring to him. And the movements began.
Deputies of the parliamentary group in Congress, workers and party colleagues from Errejón in Más Madrid demanded that the accusations not fall on deaf ears this time. Because it wasn’t the first time something like this happened. And because on this occasion, despite the fact that no criminal act was detailed, it was decided that the complaint exceeded the limits of what was acceptable for the parliamentary spokesperson of a political group that defends a left-wing and feminist project.
With the case becoming a real internal fire, Errejón tried to avoid the cameras, microphones and journalists of Congress on Wednesday morning during the control session. In fact, the deputy did not enter through the usual hallway leading to the chamber. But that day the Minister of Housing also appeared and Sumar entrusted her with attending the press to react to the proposals that Isabel Rodríguez had put on the table and to outline the line of her group. At the request of Sumar’s former spokesperson, this attention to the press occurred far from the usual place. Specifically, one floor above the entrance to the chamber, in front of the Constitutional Chamber.
But at that time there were already many people determined to go to the end. The Executive of Más Madrid, a party that he founded, met urgently and conveyed to Yolanda Díaz the demand for Errejón’s immediate dismissal. Several Sumar leaders then contacted the spokesperson seeking explanations. According to all the sources consulted and aware of these conversations, Errejón admitted his sexist behavior but flatly denied having committed any criminal act.
After acknowledging these accusations, Yolanda Díaz contacted him this Thursday morning. On an official trip to Bogotá, the second vice president demanded that she present her resignation immediately. And he informed him that, if not, the alternative would be his dismissal. Errejón, who could not guarantee his party that more accusations of this type would not come to light from now on, accepted his resignation in that conversation with Díaz.
Things, then, precipitated at noon on Thursday. Sumar Movement called an emergency executive. The management decided to accept the resignation and asked Errejón to wait until the end of the meeting to release the statement. It didn’t happen. After 2:30 p.m., the former deputy published a letter on the networks full of euphemisms.
“I have reached the limit of the contradiction between the character and the person,” he said in a letter in which he did not refer to the accusations against him but in which he left some justifications for behaviors that he associates with patriarchy.
“On the political and media front line you survive and are more effective, at least that has been my case, with a way of behaving that is often emancipated from care, empathy and the needs of others. This generates a toxic subjectivity that in the case of men, patriarchy multiplies, with co-workers, with organizational colleagues, with emotional relationships and even with oneself,” reads the text published in their X profile.
A few hours later, Sumar released the statement summarizing the management. “This morning, Íñigo Errejón sent the Sumar executive the statement that he had just made public, presenting his irrevocable resignation as a member of the executive, deputy and spokesperson for the Plurinational Parliamentary Group of Sumar. The executive of Movimiento Sumar met immediately and, after having listened to the reasons given by Íñigo Errejón, has unanimously accepted his resignation,” says the statement sent by the management.
Elizabeth Duval, Secretary of Communication for Movimiento Sumar, later explained the sequence of events on Hora 25. “On Tuesday we met an anonymous person from Cristina Fallarás, from there we started an investigation, we asked Íñigo himself for explanations and that led to his resignation,” he explained, in an interview in which he stated that Errejón recognized “sexist behavior.” ”.
“This behavior has no place in a training that is considered feminist. We have to see if there are other cases, if there are cases beyond more anonymous complaints. From there we have made the statement we have made,” said Duval. “We considered that these behaviors were intolerable and given the facts that he recognized, there was no other option,” he added.
Late on Thursday, actress and presenter Elisa Mouliaá became the first woman to publicly report being a victim of sexual harassment by Sumar’s former spokesperson. “Hello, I am a victim of sexual harassment by Iñigo Errejon and I want to report it,” he published.
During the afternoon, the leaders of Sumar’s parties have been demonstrating in public. Yolanda Díaz has stated that the resignation was the result of the internal investigation. Ministers such as Ernest Urtasun, Sira Rego or leaders such as the spokesperson for Más Madrid in the assembly, Manuela Bergerot, have criticized his behavior and defended his resignation. “Our commitment against machismo and for a feminist society is firm and without exceptions,” concluded the second vice president of the Government.
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