Pepper spray in Spain's parliament: MP faces suspension

A pepper spray canister in Spain’s Congress of Deputies in Madrid puts a PP MP at risk of suspension. On Tuesday, the chamber’s governing board opens disciplinary proceedings against Ana Belén Vázquez after she displayed the spray during the previous full sitting. No penalty has been decided.

Congress president Francina Armengol ordered Vázquez to leave the chamber at the time. Parliament’s legal advisers say even a pepper spray carried for self-defence counts as a weapon under the rules. Simply bringing a weapon into parliament can breach those rules, whether it is shown or used. The PP opposed the board’s decision to open proceedings.

Vázquez has ten days to give her account. The legal advisers will then review the case again before the board decides whether to propose a penalty. If it proposes a temporary suspension, the full Congress will make the final decision behind closed doors. Vázquez will not be allowed to take part in that sitting.

Topics: Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com