Spanish parliament veto inquiry into fatal train accident

SPANISH Parliament voted 199-132 against the opening of an official enquiry into the tragic Alvia train accident which happened on the ‘Angrois curve’, close to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, in July 2013.

More than 140 people were injured in the disaster, with 81 losing their lives.

The debate on Thursday April 28 came about following a group formed by the parties Podemos, En Comu and En Marea, who had requested that a parliamentary commission should investigate and clarify the cause of the accident.

Reports suggest that all Popular Party (PP) and Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) voted against the proposal, whereas Cuidadanos, Podemos, and other groups voted in favour of the investigation.

Relatives of the victims were in the gallery as the decision was relayed, at which point some began to protest and were ousted by officials, with a number of politicians, including Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, applauding in a show of solidarity.

El Marea spokesperson Alexandra Fernandez lambasted her PP equivalent Rafael Hernando, saying: “I explained to Hernando that the victims are not manipulating or using anyone… This shows a lack of respect for democracy, intelligence, and the victims.”

She went on to denounce the “pact of silence” between the PP and PSOE in respect of the catastrophe.

For his part, Hernando accused Podemos of attempting to obtain “political gains through the victims’ pain”, a statement which caused Iglesias to jump from his chair, crying that what he had just heard was “shameful.”