Ana Vázquez's pepper spray unleashes discomfort in the PP: "It's a mistake to distract from what's important"

The pepper spray can that Ana Vázquez exhibited this morning in Congress to attack Fernando Grande-Marlaska has ended up turning against the deputy herself and against the political strategy of the PP. What was intended to be an impactful image to denounce the situation in Ceuta has ended with several offices sealed, twelve people attended, and considerable anger among her bench mates.

The discomfort within the Popular Group is evident, as reported by 'El País'. Several deputies consider that the PP spokesperson in the Interior Committee has given the Government a completely unnecessary distraction on a day for which the party had prepared a much broader parliamentary offensive. 'It's a mistake to distract from what's important,' laments one of the leaders consulted by the newspaper.

Internal criticism is directed against the staging chosen by Vázquez and the consequences it has caused. The PP leadership knew that the deputy intended to bring the aerosol to the hemicycle, although they had received assurances that it was empty. With that information, Alberto Núñez Feijóo and other popular leaders initially defended their parliamentarian against Francina Armengol. The problem grew when it was confirmed that the can still contained traces of the product.

From that moment on, the question about Ceuta, the clash with Marlaska, and the other issues that the PP wanted to place in the political debate have been relegated to the background. "It got out of hand," they admit within the parliamentary group about an action that ended up monopolizing the corridors of Congress throughout the morning.

From the "empty" can to twelve people attended

Ana Vázquez took out the container during her intervention in the control session, while reproaching the Minister of Interior for the insecurity that, according to her account, women in Ceuta suffer after the massive entry of migrants at the end of July. The deputy presented these aerosols as part of the "basic school material" that some families would be providing to their daughters to protect themselves.

Armengol intervened at the end of the question and ordered Vázquez to leave the chamber and hand over the canister to the Chamber's police services. The President of Congress considered that the aerosol falls within the objects that the Regulations prohibit from being displayed in the plenary hall. The deputy disputed that interpretation and reiterated that the container was empty.

The Popular Group protested from their seats and Feijóo accused Armengol of "inflaming" the plenary session. The leader of the PP defended that Vázquez had merely shown the object that, according to her, some women and minors carry in Ceuta. The controversy could have remained another parliamentary clash, but what happened minutes later completely changed the scope of the episode.

After leaving the chamber, Vázquez asked a PP worker to clean the aerosol. The employee took it to one of the bathrooms in the extension of Congress and activated it several times while trying to wash it. There was still product inside and the gas spread through the hallway, several restrooms, a kitchen, and one of the cafeterias.

The Police had to cordon off different dependencies. The offices of the far-right Vox were also evacuated due to the strong smell and twelve people needed medical assistance. Among them is a member of a Mauritanian delegation who suffered vomiting. A cafeteria worker took sick leave due to intoxication and another employee filed a complaint with the Police.

The explanation offered by Vázquez about the supposedly empty container was seriously compromised by the facts. Despite this, the deputy assured the media that she would bring it back to Congress "as many times as necessary". That reaction increased the discomfort in the PP, where several parliamentarians believe that it would have been more prudent to acknowledge the error and close as soon as possible a controversy that continues to grow.

A veteran deputy who has ended up harming her group

Ana Vázquez has served eight legislatures in Congress. She was mayor of Bande, studied Law, and even entered the Police Academy before leaving that training to dedicate herself to politics. She currently holds the popular spokesperson position in the Interior Committee and regularly participates in television talk shows, where she maintains a particularly tough profile against Marlaska.

That experience makes it difficult within the PP to present what happened as the slip of a newly arrived parliamentarian. Vázquez knew how the Chamber worked, knew the repercussions of displaying the can, and had previously prepared the scene. Her colleagues now question whether she correctly assessed the risks of introducing the aerosol and whether she was confident that it was completely empty.

The damage to the party has been twofold. The action has shifted the focus from the issues with which the PP intended to wear down the Executive and has forced its leaders to publicly defend a version that has since been weakened. It has also caused physical consequences among workers and visitors to Congress, a derivative that has taken the episode far beyond the usual parliamentary brawl.

The debate on the legal consideration of these aerosols remains open. Vázquez maintains that approved models can be legally acquired, while the Presidency of the Chamber has applied internal rules that prohibit displaying weapons or potentially dangerous objects. The can has already been handed over to the Police and Congress lawyers are preparing a report to determine responsibilities and possible disciplinary measures.