Valencia, Spain, (EFE). – A massive demonstration in Valencia’s city center commemorated on Saturday the first anniversary of the floods that killed 229 people, demanding the resignation of regional president, Carlos Mazón, over his management of the emergency.
The demonstration, convened every month since Oct 2024 by 200 social, civic, and trade union organizations, ended next to the headquarters of the regional government, bringing together over 50,000 people according to the Delegation of the central government and 32,000 according to the Local Police.
Victims’ families displayed photos, posters, and T-shirts with messages like , “Mazón resignation,” “Mazón to prison,” “We do not want him at the state funeral,” or «20:11 Ni oblit ni perdó» (Valencian for «We will never forgive, nor will we ever forget»), referencing the alert message’s time, sent after many had drowned.
On October 29, 2024, an isolated depression (DANA) occurred in eastern Spain, particularly in the province of Valencia.
This phenomenon is common in the Mediterranean but has become more extreme due to climate change, which causes higher sea temperatures during the summer.
Torrential rains destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, washed away thousands of cars, and killed 229 people. Two individuals are still missing following the discovery of a 56-year-old man’s body earlier this week.
A few days before the first anniversary of the tragedy, the organizers denounced the lack of political responsibility.
The main target of public anger is Valencia’s regional president, the conservative Carlos Mazón, whom many blame for the mismanagement of the tragedy, as he was unavailable for several hours before going to the coordination center that had been convened to deal with the crisis.
The president of the Association of Deadly Victims of the Dana, Rosa Álvarez, affirmed they are not only asking for the resignation of Mr. Mazón, who «abandoned» his people and «continues to be expendable», but also that he be made available to justice.
Toñi García, who lost her husband and daughter, considered it «unacceptable» that Mazón continues as regional president, as «he has shown he is not up to the task».
A firefighter named Jesús demanded that the vacancies in the regional corps be filled. He assured that if the workforce had been complete a year ago, “many victims could have been saved.”
Saturday’s rally coincided with the first anniversary of the floods on Wednesday, when a state funeral will be held in tribute to the victims to be attended by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
On Saturday morning, the victims’ associations also called for a tribute to the 229 deceased, in an act with testimonies from their relatives and requests that they not be forgotten and that justice be done.
Although improvements in the municipalities most affected are ongoing, in many, the damage is still visible.
The Government of the Valencian region allocated over 2.5 billion euros to reconstruction works, government sources informed on Saturday. EFE
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