Residents of Paiporta, one of the hardest-hit municipalities in the Valencia region, greeted Spain’s King Felipe VI with hostility, according to Euractiv.
Frustration over delays in weather warnings and emergency response following last week’s devastating floods is growing. According to the latest reports, the disaster claimed more than 217 lives, with at least 62 people killed in Paiporta, a suburb of the city of Valencia.
The king and Queen Letizia, accompanied by Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, as well as Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazón, inspected the flood scene. Meanwhile, rescue teams continued to search for missing people while clearing mud and water from homes.
Although all high officials were later evacuated, the king reportedly stayed to continue speaking with residents affected by the tragedy. The floods sparked outrage over delayed weather warnings and the authorities’ perceived slow response to the emergency.
Sánchez announced on Saturday that he had ordered an additional 10,000 police and soldiers to help with the rescue efforts.
It is time to put all our efforts into the colossal task ahead. We have only one enemy to fight: the destruction caused by the catastrophe. We have to give it our all. And we have to do it together. Together.
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont backed the violent residents of the stricken region, criticising the authorities’ disproportionate response.
The reaction of the outraged Valencians was predictable, and it seems that it will go even further. From the outside, the problem that is seen right now is that there does not seem to be any democratic proposal strong enough and organised enough to be able to capitalise on this energy and turn it into a transformative movement. Diluted a good part of Valencian politics in the magma of Madrid’s interests, neither the native right nor the left seem in a position to lead a disruptive proposal.
