Vox, speaking to a hundred immigrants: "They have invaded the Balearic Islands"

PalmThe PP and Vox deputies had to face the people most affected by their political actions after using their majority to block the Spanish government's extraordinary regularization of immigration status. Around one hundred migrants (some of whom were undocumented) attended the parliamentary session, invited by the PSIB, where they heard the right wing speak of a "pull factor" and the far right, through their spokesperson Manuel, accuse them of an "invasion" of the Balearic Islands and "an increase in child rapes."

The debate was tense. As soon as PP deputy Cristina Gil came forward to defend the text, a non-binding resolution, PSIB spokesperson Iago Negueruela pointed to the audience and said, "These are the ones you want to expel." Gil responded by accusing him of "lacking class." The text, which has no legal standing, has served as a platform for the Chamber to express its rejection of the extraordinary regularization process, arguing that it "contributes to the pull factor" and "ignores the population growth of the Islands." Gil also called for stricter "reception criteria" and "expedited deportations."

The Vox spokesperson criticized the immigrants for "allowing themselves to be used by such a corrupt party" as the PSIB. In her speech, she did not hold back her reproaches, stating that the "immigrants have invaded the Balearic Islands." "Every time [Pedro] Sánchez announces a regularization program, the arrival of migrant boats increases, as does the criminal activity and the risk to those who take to the sea," he said, and spoke of an "increase in rapes of children and women," "of murders in the name of a God that is not ours," and also of the "saturation" with respect for women, sexual orientation, and "our own customs." "Those who enter irregularly cannot stay," he insisted, and accused the left of being "complicit in rapes, human trafficking, and jihadism throughout Europe."

Both the PSIB and MÁS and Més per Menorca protested this accusation and demanded its removal from the official record. Former Vox deputy and now independent member Agustín Buades echoed this sentiment, lamenting the breach of "the Chamber's decorum" with "insults and serious accusations." "We have witnessed an act of racism for which we must apologize," Negueruela stated. In response, Vox deputy Maria José Verdú raised her voice, declaring, "This isn't defending oneself; it's presenting arguments." "To defend oneself, one must provide arguments," Negueruela reiterated. Similarly, the spokesperson for MÁS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, called on the Speaker of the House, Gabriel Le Senne, to "delete the remarks that have disrupted the chamber" and to ensure that "hate speech is not recorded" in the minutes. However, Le Senne has refused. "I'm not going to eliminate them," he said. "It's a political issue, just like you call us fascists."