Spain Grief and anger after floods - tens of thousands protest
Anger mixed with sadness and despair has led around 130,000 people to take to the streets in the Spanish Mediterranean metropolis of Valencia, according to the authorities. On Saturday evening, a week and a half after the so-called storm of the century, which according to the latest official figures caused at least 222 deaths, they protested in the city center against what they saw as the slow start of aid and the late arrival of warnings on people's cell phones.
The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón. On their march to the government building, they chanted "murderer, murderer" and "resign, resign", among other things.
Some carried placards with inscriptions such as "Mazón in prison!" or "Justice!". After a minute's silence for the more than 200 people killed in the disaster - most of them in the Valencia region - several leaders read out a manifesto in front of the Palau de la Generalitat demanding clarification of responsibility for the "avoidable consequences of the disaster" and the dismissal of the regional "incompetent government". The demonstration was called at short notice by 65 organizations, including citizens' initiatives and trade unions.
Clashes with the police
Clashes broke out after the rally, as can be seen in a video on the website of the newspaper "Las Provinicias". Radical groups had joined the peaceful demonstration at the end and then threw stones, bottles and burning containers at the police officers, the newspaper reported. Some also tried to storm the government building and set fire to the main entrance. Four people were arrested. According to media reports, demonstrators threw mud at the building, left handprints dipped in mud on the façade and smeared it with insults against the regional president.
Regional president allegedly sent storm warning too late
Among other things, Mazón is accused of not sending the warnings from the Aemet weather service to the population's cell phones until the evening of October 29. By then, the rivers had already burst their banks and the devastating floods had run their course.
He told the local radio station À Punt that it had initially looked like the usual storms that often occur in the Mediterranean region. "Everything changed at 7 p.m. when the rivers burst their banks." The alarm from his government then went out to the cell phones of the inhabitants of the Valencia region shortly after 8 pm.
Mazón also emphasized that there was no point in clarifying responsibilities now. Now it was a matter of recovery and reconstruction, "with a lot of pain". Apart from the disaster, the fact that Mazón belongs to the opposition People's Party (PP), while the Socialists lead Spain's governing coalition, is politically explosive.
The king wants to visit the disaster area again
Despite the continuing discontent, the Spanish King Felipe VI intends to visit the disaster area again on Tuesday after the riots during his first visit to Valencia. His wife, Queen Letizia, will not be accompanying him this time, as the royal family announced. Last Sunday, the two were pelted with mud and verbally abused in Paiporta near the metropolis of Valencia.
The 56-year-old monarch wanted to oversee the recovery and clean-up work, which is continuing at full speed, according to the "Casa Real" in Madrid. Around 8,500 military personnel and 10,000 officers from the national police units Policía Nacional and Guardia Civil are being deployed in the 80 or so affected municipalities. Many buildings are still inaccessible or difficult to access, as some entrances are still blocked by wrecked cars and household goods.
Number of missing persons slowly decreasing
The heavy rainfall, landslides and flooding a week and a half ago claimed at least 222 lives, according to the latest official figures. 214 bodies were recovered in Valencia alone. There were eight fatalities in the neighboring regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia. Meanwhile, the official number of missing persons in Valencia has been reduced from 50 to 41. It had to be taken into account that 19 bodies had not yet been identified.
'Pirates of the Caribbean' star offers encouragement to victims
Meanwhile, Hollywood star Johnny Depp is offering his support. He wants to see to what extent he can help, "in whatever form", said the 61-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star on the fringes of the European Film Festival in Seville. Depp encouraged the flood victims and said his heart was "with the people affected". He also emphasized "the resilience of the Spanish people in events like this".
On October 29, it rained as much in a few hours in some places as it usually does in a year. In the meantime, the sun has mostly been shining again in the flood area for days.
SDA
