Op-Ed: Rajoy denies secret payment scheme, Spanish say 'Resign'

Madrid - While Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy continues to strongly deny media claims that he and other PP members received secret payments, the people don't believe a word he says. (Includes video update of Málaga protest.)

Digital Journal reported on January 31 about the secret payment scheme exposed and published by the El Pais newspaper in Spain. Rajoy told the media in a statement: "I have never received nor distributed undeclared money," all the while stressing that he would not resign. The newspaper said that Rajoy had collected 25,200 euros (£22,000; $34,000) a year between 1997 and 2008. This was thought to be related to the building boom in Spain and that the payments were a "slush fund" or backhander for contracts given. Rajoy was addressing the PP national executive meeting in an extraordinary session in Madrid, which was set up to discuss the allegations by El Pais. Rajoy stressed: "It is not true that we received cash that we hid from tax officials." However, in Madrid and Barcelona, several protests involving thousands of demonstrators are ongoing. Other major cities are also getting involved over the weekend including Sevilla, Granada and Málaga. The most popular slogan to be heard in these demonstrations is the word "dimisión" (or resignation), which can be heard repeatedly in the recording from a livestream in Madrid above. Reference is also made to the government being a "mafia." Others chant that there is no crisis, its a scam. By the looks of things, the public is not going to back down, so things are going to get interesting in Spain in the next days. Attorney General Eduardo Torres-Dulce said on Friday that there is sufficient cause to investigate the claims. RT News has some excellent photos of the protest. Video update: Yesterday evening's protest in Málaga city, complete with the police removing "symbols" of the protest and generally blocking the way of the protesters: