Irene Montero hands Abascal knee pads on La Revuelta for use with Netanyahu

Irene Montero handed Santiago Abascal a pair of knee pads during his appearance on La Revuelta, a gesture she herself linked to the work that, according to her message, the Vox leader does for Netanyahu and Trump.

The Podemos leader, **Irene Montero**, appeared on the show **La Revuelta** and brought along an unusual item: knee pads. The recipient was **Santiago Abascal**, president of Vox. The gift was no accident. Montero presented it as a message for him and for **Alberto Núñez Feijóo**, alluding to the work they do, in her view, in the service of foreign interests.

## A gift with a political recipient

Montero's gesture comes amid sustained political confrontation. The Podemos leader has repeatedly criticized Vox's closeness to the Israeli prime minister, **Benjamin Netanyahu**, and former US president **Donald Trump**. In this context, the knee pads work as a symbol: they suggest the posture of someone who kneels before foreign powers.

The item was handed over in the studio, in front of the cameras, and is part of the show's satirical tone. It is not the first time Montero has used a television platform to deliver a political message with a physical object as its vehicle.

## The political cost of symbols

Beyond the gesture, the anecdote illustrates a well-established trend in Spanish political communication: the symbol as a weapon. Knee pads have little economic value, but their symbolic charge is high. Montero seeks to associate Abascal with submission to international leaders she considers opposed to social interests.

The episode also gauges the temperature of public debate. Foreign policy, and in particular the relationship with **Israel** and the **United States**, has become an axis of confrontation between parties. Podemos uses it to carve out its own profile against Vox and, by extension, against the PP.

The irony of the gift does not hide a wear-and-tear operation. Montero does not give knee pads out of affection; she hands them over so the recipient can use them, literally, in his work for Netanyahu and Trump. It is a way of saying that Abascal is already on his knees and only lacks the equipment.

## A low-cost, high-impact episode

Economically, the gesture does not move a single figure in the budget. Politically, it generates headlines and conversation. Spanish politics has long been replacing programmatic debate with an exchange of symbols, and this episode is yet another example. The cost is minimal; the media payoff, immediate.