The Minister of Equality, Irene Montero (Podem), and the President of the Courts of Aragon, Marta Fernández (Vox), yesterday starred in a tense episode at the gates of the Aljafería palace (Zaragosa), where both they avoided shaking hands in the protocol greeting prior to the minister’s visit to the headquarters of the Aragonese Parliament.
Fernández, who before taking up this position wrote messages on the networks such as “Irene Montero only knows how to kneel to climb”, kept her hands behind her back at all times, and the minister also did not attempt to make a fit. “I’m glad that we’re at a European event to defend the right to abortion”, said the head of Equality, and Fernández replied with a simple “welcome to this house”.
The insolences did not end there, as the president of the Chamber, the second authority of the community, immediately denied the greeting to the Secretary of State for Equality, Ángela Rodríguez, Pam, who did extend to her hand when it arrived.
Fernández was elected president of the Aragonese Courts in June with the support of her party and the PP. Shortly before being appointed, she deleted numerous messages on social networks in which she denied the existence of gender violence, climate change or doubted the effectiveness of masks against covid.
On the occasion of the Spanish Presidency of the EU, Montero traveled to the Aragonese capital to participate in a European conference on women’s sexual rights, in which several European delegations responsible for equality and human rights also took part.
After the meeting, the minister sent an indirect message to her host pointing out that it is “very good that those who deny women’s rights can be representing this defense of feminist rights from the institutions”. For her, the “best democratic vaccine” is that those who deny them “today (for yesterday) must be here defending the right to abortion, sex education, sexual and reproductive rights”.
