The spokesperson for the Popular Party in La Laguna, Juan Antonio Molina, has condemned the insults directed at councillor Eva Cólogan by government member Ángel Chinea. Chinea described her using terms such as “parasitism”, “opportunist”, “advantage-seeker”, “selfish”, “manipulative”, and “unprincipled”, and accused her of having a “symbiotic-parasitic relationship with the government”.
Political Attack or Personal Attack?
For the Popular Party, these words represent not merely political disqualifications but a personal attack of a clearly misogynistic nature. Molina views this as an example of verbal violence and political despotism that is unacceptable in a democratic institution. “It is intolerable for a member of the municipal government to insult and humiliate a councillor in this way, even attributing to her some kind of syndrome while she was simply advocating for a legitimate aspiration of a group of residents from Camino Lomo las Rías that had been announced for initiation last January,” Molina emphasised.
Calls for Resignation
The Popular Party demands the immediate resignation of Ángel Chinea and urges Mayor Luis Yeray Gutiérrez to act responsibly by condemning such behaviour and dismissing his councillor. “Silence or inaction from the mayor in response to such serious insults would make him complicit in this verbal aggression,” Molina warns.
History of Misconduct
Furthermore, the Popular group reminds constituents that “these are not the first outbursts from this councillor, who has spent two years making such disparaging comments towards our colleague with an unjustifiable fixation. Councillor Cólogan’s behaviour has been exemplary at all times, and there is no reason to continue enduring this harassment aimed at undermining her image.”
A Culture of Respect
Molina insists that the Council must be a space of respect and a model for the community. “It is unacceptable that while speaking of equality and coexistence in speeches, political machismo is exercised against an opposition councillor during sessions,” he adds.
Concerns Over Party Responses
Molina expressed his disappointment with the PSOE for celebrating the public insults on social media during a motion related to the simple resurfacing of a street, as well as with Idaira Afonso, President of the Equality Committee, who has been quick to rectify minimal misinterpretations while remaining silent in the face of this attack.
Defending the Community
“We will continue to defend the community and anyone who suffers from this politics of fear. What has occurred is more than just another incident; it demonstrates the institutional disrespect and the intolerant drift of this government,” concludes Juan Antonio Molina, who calls for “the immediate resignation of councillor Ángel Chinea, as well as the swift convening of the Equality Committee to jointly assess the actions of the councillor for Works and Infrastructure.”
