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Robles Condemns WhatsApp Jibe as Sexist, Blames Ábalos

The defence minister has reassigned responsibility for the sexist exchange to Ábalos to shield the prime minister at the expense of her own feminist standing.

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Overview

  • A May leak unveiled a November 2020 chat in which Pedro Sánchez and José Luis Ábalos mocked Margarita Robles as “pájara” and joked that she “sleeps with her uniform on.”
  • On July 10 Robles labeled the remarks a “descalificación machista” after initially downplaying their significance and asserted that Ábalos was chiefly responsible for provoking the comment.
  • She defended Sánchez by arguing that he was goaded by Ábalos’s provocation and absolved the prime minister of sexist intent.
  • Robles reframed the uniform jibe as an honor for women in uniform, invoking former Uruguayan president José Mujica to underscore her point.
  • PP deputy Cuca Gamarra criticized Robles for accusing the prime minister of sexism while retaining her cabinet post.