Miguel Ángel Rodríguez posted on X that he would not let Pedro Sánchez silence Isabel Díaz Ayuso. The warning came as the Madrid president accused the government of fuelling violence during teachers’ protests.
Dozens of public-school teachers gathered outside Madrid’s Palacio de Santoña on Monday as tensions between the regional government and Pedro Sánchez’s administration sharpened. The open-ended strike, organised by unions and education platforms, began on 14 October; 19 October was its fourth day. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Isabel Díaz Ayuso’s chief of staff, used X to challenge the prime minister and repeat Ayuso’s ‘me gusta la fruta’ jibe.
Rodríguez said Sánchez would find it difficult to frighten or silence Ayuso. His post came as the Madrid president accused Sánchez of encouraging violence through the open-ended strike by public-school teachers. The action is aimed chiefly at the regional government’s education policy. Organisers want more resources and higher pay, alongside smaller classes and better working conditions. EFE reported that about 65,000 teachers in the region’s general and vocational education system had been called to strike; the system serves more than 666,000 students. Ayuso also alleged that unions were being paid off to spread the slogan “No habrá paz” beyond Madrid.
Ayuso made the claims on arrival at the Palacio de Santoña, where teachers were demonstrating in defence of public education. She questioned the lack of police and reinforcements. EFE reported that hundreds of teachers had gathered around the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, where the event with Ayuso was being held. Police used force against some demonstrators trying to approach the entrance. Earlier coverage of the strike described a march through central Madrid in an earlier strike report.
She also said a regional director general had faced an escrache at a school entrance in Vallecas. Dozens of demonstrators gathered as Education, Science and Universities Minister Mercedes Zarzalejo was due to arrive at the public vocational training centre Antonio Palacios; she did not attend for security reasons. More than 300 teachers had assembled at the entrance, calling on the regional government to negotiate their demands. Zarzalejo urged that disturbances not escalate further.
Ayuso blamed Sánchez and the Government Delegation for the violence she said was taking place at teachers’ demonstrations. In remarks reported by RTVE, she accused the “anti-democratic left” of a strategy of personal and institutional harassment. She argued that the protests were affecting children’s ability to go to school and cited a disruption on the A-3 that she said had kept people from reaching work. On the morning of 19 October, more than 100 teachers blocked a service section of the A-3 near Moratalaz at about 8:30 a.m., causing rush-hour congestion. RTVE reported that the protesters used school desks to block the road. The traffic disruption lasted about 30 minutes and ended after police arrived.
The dispute comes as Ayuso has repeatedly attacked Sánchez in recent months, while a scandal over the purchase and subsequent listing for sale of a penthouse in Chamberí has surrounded her since late July. She said her regional government alone had reached agreements with education representatives. On 19 October, the strike remained open-ended, with no agreement announced. That day, protests took place at the Ayuso event and on the A-3; demonstrators also gathered outside the vocational training centre where Zarzalejo’s visit was scheduled.
