New complaint against the ultra agitator Vito Quiles in Congress: Sumar accuses him of boycotting a press conference

Sumar has filed a new formal complaint before the Board of the Congress of Deputies against the ultra agitator Vito Quiles, whom it accuses of “blowing up” a parliamentary appearance held in the press area contiguous to the hemicycle. With this, there are already nine complaints registered by the group against Quiles and other agitators linked to the far-right for incidents occurred inside the Lower House.

According to the written statement sent by Sumar to the Congress Bureau, Quiles "interrupted the appearance aggressively and disrespectfully, repeatedly and improperly, taking the floor without having requested it or having the corresponding turn". The incident occurred during an appearance led by deputy Aina Vidal, who had already starred days before in another altercation with the ultra agitator Bertrand Ndongo.

The complaint states that Quiles's behavior sought “to boycott the press conference through verbal violence” and hindered the work of the journalists present. “Both the press chief of the Parliamentary Group and the press officer of the Comuns reminded Quiles that he did not have the floor,” the document states. Sumar adds that several journalists had to intervene to try to restore order and continue with the appearance normally.

Parliamentary sources point out that the Bureau of Congress is currently finalizing two of the eleven open files against Quiles and Ndongo. One of the procedures against Ndongo is related to another interruption during a Sumar press conference in which strong tension arose with the team of Verónica Martínez Barbero. In the case of Quiles, the file is linked to recordings made with a mobile phone in areas of the Congress where it is expressly prohibited.

In its new brief, Sumar underlines that this episode “does not constitute an isolated event”, but rather is part of “a continuous dynamic of violence, aggressiveness, interruptions, disqualifications, and interferences” in different parliamentary acts. The group considers that the actions of the ultra agitator “exceed the limits of criticism or legitimate freedom of expression”, generating “a climate of tension and verbal harassment incompatible with the due respect” in a democratic institution.

The party led by Yolanda Díaz considers a serious infraction “obstructing or interrupting the order of press conferences”. Furthermore, the repetition of this type of conduct more than twice in a year can turn them into very serious infractions, a scenario that could result in the temporary suspension of the parliamentary credentials of Quiles and Ndongo within the Lower House.