Gabriel Le Senne, the president of the Balearic Parliament and a member of the Vox party, is set to face trial for a hate crime after the Palma Audiencia dismissed his appeal against charges stemming from his act of tearing down a photograph of republican women executed by Franco's regime in 1937. This ruling comes shortly after an agreement was reached between the Balearic regional government, helmed by the People's Party (PP), and Vox regarding the approval of the regional budget.

The court's decision followed Le Senne's appeal to revoke his indictment, which he filed in February against the orders of Juan Manuel Sobrino, the investigating judge.

In a move contrary to the prosecutor’s opinion, Judge Sobrino ordered that a trial proceed against Le Senne, citing sufficient grounds for a hate crime charge.

In his defense, Le Senne claimed the judicial decision was "illogical and arbitrary," arguing that it reflected a biased interpretation of the proceedings, which he contended did not provide adequate evidence to warrant a trial.

Upon learning of his impending trial, Le Senne reiterated that his actions were motivated solely by a desire to enforce parliamentary rules.

He stated that he acted in response to complaints from groups representing the parliamentary majority and had sought legal advice beforehand.

Furthermore, he expressed his willingness to cooperate with the judicial proceedings to expedite the resolution of the case.

In parallel, leftist parties in the Balearic Parliament have announced plans to initiate "all mechanisms" permitted by the parliamentary rules to remove Le Senne from his position.

They have indicated that while they will act promptly, they anticipate that Le Senne will step down voluntarily.

The leftist factions intend to invoke Article 9 of the parliamentary regulations, which stipulates that members must be suspended from their rights and duties upon issuance of a definitive indictment or the opening of a trial.

Such a suspension requires an absolute majority within the Parliament.

The incident in question occurred on June 18, 2024, when Le Senne, during a debate aimed at repealing the Balearic Democratic Memory Law enacted by socialist former president Francina Armengol, expelled two PSOE deputies along with other members from the parliamentary table, including Mercedes Garrido and Pilar Costa.

This expulsion occurred when these officials displayed images of republican women who were killed during the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s regime, including Aurora Picornell, a prominent figure nicknamed "La Pasionaria mallorquina," whose remains were identified in a mass grave in 2022.

Le Senne's attempt to silence the opposition involved physically shutting down one of the computers used by the expelled deputies and tearing down the photographs in question, arguing that the parliamentary table must maintain neutrality.

Although he later apologized, Le Senne insisted the photograph's destruction was accidental and that his intent was only to remove it, not to damage it.

The regional government has taken the matter to court, resulting in a hate crime complaint against Le Senne, who has not considered resigning from his position.

Months later, the PP backed Le Senne's continuation in his role after abstaining from his potential dismissal.

The defaced photographs featured Aurora Picornell and Antònia and María Pascual, all recognized leftist activists during the Second Republic, who were executed on the night of the Three Kings in 1937 alongside two other victims, collectively known as "Las Rojas del Molinar," from a well-known neighborhood in Palma.

The investigating judge noted that Le Senne's actions were motivated by "anger, rage, and contempt" for what these images represent.

The remains of the five victims were missing until their discovery in a mass grave at the Son Coletes cemetery in Manacor was confirmed in October 2022.

The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory in Mallorca has filed charges against Le Senne, demanding a prison sentence of 20 months, a fine of approximately 9,900 euros, and a compensation payment of 30,000 euros.

Additionally, the popular prosecution group 'Estimada Aurora' is seeking a 16-month prison sentence, a 30,000 euro fine, 30,000 euros in compensation, a three-and-a-half-year suspension from public office, and a ten-year disqualification from holding office.

Other accusations include those from the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) and the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), which are requesting prison terms of four years and 20 months, respectively, and compensation ranging from 13,000 to 80,000 euros.