Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Spain on Saturday to express their outrage over authorities’ handling of deadly floods that have left at least 220 people dead and cities inundated with mud.
Some 130,000 people took part in the protest in Valencia, according to local media, citing government information. There were clashes between protesters and police in the streets, with tens of thousands of people marching to demand the resignation of the region’s president over his response to the floods.
Protesters demanded the resignation of Valencia regional president Carlos Mazón, who is said by critics to have responded too slowly to the region’s worst natural disaster in decades. Many chanted “Killers! Killers!” and some carried banners denouncing the Valencia region’s president as well as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
With absolute respect to everyone, I consider that confrontation and vandalism will never be the solution, Valencia’s mayor María José Catalá said on X.
The region has suffered the worst flooding in recent months, the worst in decades, resulting in the deaths of at least 220 people and inundating towns with mud. Residents are outraged by the lack of warnings and the authorities’ slow response to the aftermath of the deadly floods, which have affected some 80 towns and cities in the region.
Mazón, for his part, claimed that central authorities failed to warn him in advance of the severity of the rain, while the Spanish government says it tried to reach Mazón at least four times before he could be contacted. According to some Spanish media reports, he was in the restaurant for several hours after the flooding, and denies that he missed any calls before the flooding took on catastrophic proportions.
The Spanish government and regional authorities are still searching for more than 70 people who are still missing. More than 8,400 soldiers as well as divers are taking part in the search off the coast of Valencia.
