José María Sánchez García, Vox spokesperson in the Constitutional Committee, was expelled from the Congress of Deputies plenary on Tuesday after three calls to order. The incident took place during a debate on book destruction under Francoism, as he protested alleged insults from an ERC deputy. He confronted a clerk and first vice president Alfonso Rodríguez Gómez de Celis.
The clash began as ERC deputy Francesc Marc Álvaro spoke during a PSOE non-binding motion debate on the 'bibliocaust', the burning of books under Francoism. From his seat, Sánchez García protested alleged insults from ERC deputy Jordi Salvador, such as 'murderer', 'ignorant', and 'criminal', according to Vox. ERC sources claim Sánchez reproached Salvador over burned books.
Congress president Francina Armengol issued the first call to order: "Sit down, Mr. Sánchez, you are not speaking. I call you to order for the first time". Visibly angry, Sánchez climbed to the presidential podium, complained to a clerk, and then to Gómez de Celis, who chaired the session. After two more reprimands, he was expelled per the Rules, barring him from the rest of the session.
After expulsion, Sánchez went to Armengol's office, where she reproached his conduct. Salvador declined to confirm insults: "That's what Vox always does, I'm used to it". Socialist Marc Lamuà expressed astonishment: "If we break the rules here, how can we ask citizens to follow them? It's unheard of".
Sánchez García has priors: in 2021, he called socialist deputy Laura Berja 'witch' during an abortion debate, leading to his expulsion too.
