The incident took place on Tuesday during the debate of a non-legislative proposal (PNL) promoted by the PSOE, which seeks to document the burning of books during Franco's regime and the coup d'état. The situation escalated when Sánchez confronted the first vice-president of the chamber, Alfonso Rodríguez Gómez de Celis, who was presiding at the time, leading to the deputy's expulsion from the hemicycle.

The socialist spokesperson in Congress, Patxi López, described the incident as "very serious" and called on the Lower House Bureau for a "forceful" sanction against Sánchez. López compared the deputy's behavior to past episodes in democracy, including the 23-F coup attempt, and warned against the escalation of verbal violence in politics.

For its part, the Vox leadership admitted that their deputy's conduct was "questionable," although they ruled out taking action against him. They attributed Sánchez's attitude to the "tiredness" of their parliamentarians due to the insults they claim to constantly receive. José María Sánchez, born in Madrid but elected for the Alicante constituency since 2019, had previously been expelled from the plenary session in 2021.

The incident began after a verbal confrontation between Sánchez and the ERC parliamentarian, Jordi Salvador. According to a Vox deputy, Salvador allegedly insulted Sánchez, who unsuccessfully requested to speak. After being called to order by the Congress president, Francina Armengol, and subsequently by Gómez de Celis, Sánchez returned to the rostrum, where he continued the dispute with the presidency.

Gómez de Celis compared the incident to the 23-F and stated that he thought the Vox deputy would physically assault him. The expulsion means Sánchez will not be able to participate in this week's plenary session, including today's. The Spanish government also commented, recalling the images of 23-F and criticizing the PP's lack of condemnation, as they have avoided commenting on the controversy.