A serious conflict is brewing within the Galician branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). Tensions escalated sharply after it became known that the party’s leader in Galicia, José Ramón Gómez Besteiro, was aware of complaints about sexual harassment against one of the party’s key figures two months before these allegations surfaced in the media. The internal discontent erupted into two open letters and a petition that gathered more than five hundred signatures, including from former and current politicians from all four provinces in the region.
The criticism of the leadership did not come just from ordinary members. Even former presidents of Galicia, Fernando González Laxe and Emilio Pérez Touriño, publicly voiced their dissatisfaction with Besteiro’s actions. Despite the backlash, Besteiro insists he acted appropriately and has reported a new complaint—this time against one of his critics, the mayor of Barbadás, Xosé Carlos Valcárcel.
Open Letters and Protests
The outrage among socialists was fueled not only by the harassment case itself, but also by how the party leadership handled the situation. In Lugo, a group of activists distributed a manifesto demanding full disclosure of the facts in the José Tomé case and called for accountability. This letter was joined by others, including an initiative led by 70 socialist women that has now been endorsed by over 450 people, among them prominent politicians and mayors from various provinces.
Vigo mayor Abel Caballero, despite not holding any official positions in the regional branch, also commented on the situation. He emphasized that the party made mistakes in handling the complaint and took too long to pass the information to other authorities. In his view, it is crucial to learn from this so it does not happen again.
Leadership Response
Party secretary Besteiro acknowledged that he learned about the complaints back in October, but not from the victim herself, rather from a close acquaintance. He claims he advised the woman to file an official complaint and also questioned Tomé about the incident, but Tomé denied everything. Besteiro shared information about what happened only with two trusted individuals responsible for organizational matters in Galicia and Lugo.
Other leaders, including party president Carmela Silva and head of equality issues Silvia Fraga, were not informed. Fraga resigned in protest, disagreeing with how the party responded to the allegations. Caballero believes her opinion was ignored and urges Besteiro to persuade Fraga to stay.
New Allegations and Resignations
Shortly after the scandal broke, another complaint surfaced via the party’s special anti-harassment channel. This time, it involved the mayor of Barbadás, Valcárcel, who is accused of workplace retaliation against an activist who had previously reported sexual harassment by a former member of his team.
Valcárcel, who had signed one of the critical appeals to the leadership, now finds himself in the spotlight. There are calls for him to be removed from all his positions, but he has refused to step down as mayor or from the provincial council, announcing only his departure from the party. In response, he accused Besteiro of negligence and called for his resignation.
Positions and disagreements
The mayor of A Coruña, Inés Rey, chose not to comment on the situation and did not call for Besteiro’s resignation. At the same time, internal party debates continue over who should be held accountable and in what way. Many insist on the need for transparency and support for the victims, as well as immediate personnel decisions in case of new allegations.
Besteiro, despite the pressure, has no intention of resigning. He insists that he acted within the law, since only a victim can file an official complaint. At the same time, he emphasizes that he respects the opinions of his colleagues and protest participants, but believes his actions were correct and timely.
