Thousands of people demonstrated this Saturday in Valencia, eastern Spain, to protest against regional authorities' handling of devastating floods that killed more than 220 people late last month.
To the cries of “killers”demonstrators marched in the center of Valencia demanding the resignation of the president of the regional government, Carlos Mazon. “Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood”could we read on a banner. Some people showed their anger by throwing mud-stained boots in front of the municipal council building.
Residents of the disaster areas accuse Carlos Mazon of having raised the alarm too late, around 8:00 p.m. on October 29, when water had already invaded many towns and villages. The person said he would have raised the alarm sooner if the authorities had been informed of the seriousness of the situation by an official water monitoring body. Carlos Mazon did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Red alert
“We want to express our indignation and anger at the mismanagement of this disaster which has affected so many people”said Anna Oliver, president of Accio Cultural del Pais Valenciano, one of 30 groups that called for protests.
After warnings from the National Weather Service from October 25, some municipalities and local organizations raised the alarm much earlier than the regional government. The University of Valencia, for example, asked its staff not to come to work on October 28. Several town halls have suspended their activities, closed public facilities and asked the population to stay at home. Faced with the arrival of heavy rain, the AEMET meteorological service issued a red alert at 7:36 a.m. on October 29. Nearly 80 people are still missing in what constitutes the deadliest phenomenon in a single European country since the floods in Portugal in 1967 which left half a thousand dead.
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