The Partido Popular (PP) has asked Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Guardia Civil Director General Mercedes González to appear before Congress's Interior Committee. The request follows allegations that senior Guardia Civil officers were pressured not to attend Madrid's official Dos de Mayo ceremony on May 2, 2025, a regional event attended by Community of Madrid President Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
Information from ABC's account, Fernando Mora, identified as head of the Guardia Civil's Madrid division, reported receiving a politically motivated directive. Lieutenant General Luis del Castillo allegedly relayed the instruction, which was attributed to González and advised the Guardia Civil not to take part in the institutional ceremony. The allegation concerns the force's public presence at a regional event, separate from claims of pressure on Guardia Civil investigators.
The PP has also submitted parliamentary questions asking whether the Interior Ministry or Guardia Civil leadership knew about the alleged pressure and whether an internal inquiry was opened. The party called the matter extremely serious, arguing that it raised concerns about partisan use of the chain of command and political influence over the force's public representation. Its call for the officials to appear puts the issue before the parliamentary committee responsible for scrutinizing the Interior Ministry.
The allegation comes amid separate judicial proceedings over claims of pressure on Guardia Civil investigators. ABC has reported that Mercedes González and Manuel Llamas, the force's director adjunto operativo, appeared as investigated persons before Santiago Pedraz, a judge of Spain's Audiencia Nacional, in the case known as caso Leire or the “cloacas” investigation. The reported inquiry concerns alleged pressure on members of the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO) and internal disciplinary matters; possible allegations include prevaricación and obstruction of justice. González and Llamas have denied the accusations. González has denied trying to impede judicial investigations and said she considered herself a victim of the alleged network. Those proceedings are separate from the claim about attendance at the Dos de Mayo ceremony.
The Guardia Civil is a national law-enforcement body with military and civilian functions. Its leadership includes the director general and the director adjunto operativo, while the UCO is a basic investigative unit. Allegations involving command decisions and investigators raise distinct questions: the force's expected neutrality at public institutional events, and the independence of its investigative work.
Madrid's Dos de Mayo holiday commemorates the uprising against French occupation that began in the city on May 2, 1808. The annual ceremony is an official event of the Community of Madrid, making the reported request to keep the Guardia Civil away politically sensitive. The PP says Grande-Marlaska and González should explain the alleged instruction and address concerns about the force's impartiality and its role in institutional events.
