Spanish interior minister and leftist leader receive death threats, bullets sent in letters

Pablo Iglesias, head of the leftist electoral alliance Unidas Podemos, has taken to Twitter to share information about the death threats he and other politicians have received, but his opposition has questioned their legitimacy.

In a series of tweets, Iglesias recounted how they found out about the threats. “The Ministry of the Interior has received a letter addressed to me with death threats against me and my family. The envelope contained 4 bullets of Cetme,” he wrote.

He also provided photographic evidence of the bullets and letter, which read, “Pablo Iglesias Turrión, you have let our parents and grandparents die. Your wife, your parents, and you are sentenced to the death penalty. Your time is running out.”

Inglesias, a candidate for the Madrid regional election, added that this was not the “first time” such threats had happened and noted that head of the Civil Guard, Maria Gamez, and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska had received similar letters.

Spanish media outlet El Pais noted that the police report filed by Marlaska referred to a letter that read “you have 10 days to resign. The days of laughing at us are over. National Police. Civil Guard. Time is not on your side for the taponazos [very loud gunfire or explosion].” Investigations into the threats are now underway.

Iglesias attributed the threats to the “normalization and whitewashing of extreme-right hate speech.” He also claimed that the media was partly responsible for spreading lies about those who received the letters.

During Madrid's regional electoral debate on Friday, Iglesias got up and left after his claims about the threats were dismissed by several opposing politicians. The candidate for the right-wing party Vox, Rocio Monasterio, voiced his disbelief at the debate, saying, “I encourage you to go and report these threats. We don't believe anything. And if you want to, then get out, which is what many Spaniards want.”

Iglesias left after stating that he would not debate the extreme right.

According to El Pais, Iglesias and his Unidas Podemos alliance are expected to achieve 9% of votes in the Madrid elections while the conservative and Christian-democratic party, People’s Party, is expected to win with 39% of the votes. The regional election will take place on May 4.

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