Anger is brewing in Spain after the deadly floods which affected the South-East of the country. This Sunday, November 3, 2024, King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, visited the Valencia region where they were greeted with insults and attacks.
These are terrifying scenes. For several days, the South-East of Spain is in the grip of violent floods. The day after the first torrential rains, around sixty deaths were reported. A toll which has since increased, reporting more than 200 victims. On October 30, Defense Minister Margarita Robles spoke of a “unprecedented phenomenon” – the country has not experienced such dramatic floods for almost 30 years. Devastated, King Felipe VI of Spain first spoke via a press release relayed on social networks. “Our most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the more than 50 dead. Strength, courage and all the necessary support for those concerned,” is it written in the letter sent by the royal house. Traveling to a Spanish air base in the Canary Islands, Queen Letizia's husband then spoke to journalists.
Felipe VI of Spain reacts to devastating floods in his country
Looking serious, he was concerned about the distress in which the residents affected by the bad weather found themselves. “There are still difficulties of access to many localitieswhich means that we do not have complete information on the extent, effects, and even possible victims. he declared before specifying that “all means available” had been made available to the victims. If many soldiers were called upon to lend a hand to the relief efforts and to the residents, the latter let their anger explode when the royal couple came to Paiporta – the most bereaved city in the country.
Why the Spanish violently attacked King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
Very upset, the victims shouted “Murderers!” as representatives of the Spanish monarchy passed by, who nevertheless seemed very affected by the situation. According to the media, the anger of the victims of the devastating floods is mainly turned towards the political leaders of the country and in particular the right-wing president of the Valencia region Carlos Mazón and the socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. “How many deaths?”they said, accusing them of having abandoned them to their fate in the face of deadly bad weather.
King Felipe VI of Spain addresses angry resident
On the spot, Felipe VI and Letizia of Spain were greeted with insults, throwing mud and various objects. Protected by his security service, the 56-year-old monarch tried to calm things down by addressing the destitute victims. “If you want, I won’t come! I will stay in Madrid“he responded to a resident who was yelling at him. Queen Letizia, upset, could not hold back her tears. She was seen comforting some victims before quickly leaving the scene.
“They wanted to kill us. The first thing to do is to warn people when a dam is about to be submerged and broken. You can't warn people when they're already drowning“declared a young resident, according to the Daily Mail. “The king and his entourage came, all very clean, to look good in the city and in front of the cameras but that doesn't help us at all. He should come here and get rid of the mud and bodies in the garages. There he will be one of us.”added another. Another visit was planned for the parents of Crown Princess Leonor of Spain – who ultimately preferred to cancel. It's more reasonable.
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