Protesters and police clashed on the streets of Valencia, in eastern Spain, on Saturday (9), as tens of thousands of people marched to demand the resignation of the regional authority. Protesters criticize the government’s response to the floods that killed more than 220 people.
Near Valencia’s Town Hall Square, police used batons and shields to fend off an angry crowd that sometimes threw chairs and other objects at officers,
In other parts of the city, several buildings were vandalized, according to the mayor of Valencia, although there were no reports of serious injuries.
Local media – citing government information – reported that around 130,000 people participated in the protest.
The demonstrations began around 6pm local time, when thousands of people – many of them carrying signs and shouting “murderers!” – took to the streets to demand the resignation of the regional president of Valencia, Carlos Mazón.
Government critics say the authorities’ response to the worst natural disaster the region has seen in decades has been too slow.
The floods, which began at the end of October, caused a year’s worth of rain to fall in the region in less than 8 hours. The rain rushed down rivers and tributaries toward the Mediterranean Sea, washing away cars and destroying bridges along the way.
“The regional government did not warn in time about the floods, it did not respond in time,” a protester told Reuters.
“Therefore, we want them to resign and let the new government take responsibility for cleaning up the mess they left.”
Another protester said: “The only thing I want to say is that this institutional abandonment and negligence must be held accountable.”
Mazón claimed that he was not given sufficient advance warning about the severity of the rain by central authorities, while the Spanish government claims that it tried to call Mazón at least four times before managing to contact him.
The regional president, who according to some Spanish media reports was in a restaurant during the floods, denied having missed any calls before the floods became catastrophic.
The Spanish government and local agencies continue to search for more than 70 people who remain missing.
More than 8,400 soldiers are taking part in the effort, according to the Spanish government, along with divers searching near the coast of Valencia.
The mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, turned to X after Saturday’s protests to call for calm.
“With absolute respect to everyone, I consider that confrontation and vandalism will never be the solution,” she wrote.
This content was originally published in Spain: Thousands of people protest in Valencia after deadly floods on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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