Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to gather in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia this Saturday as fury at the handling of the country’s worst natural disaster in recent memory refuses to fade, a year on.
On October 29th, 2024, torrential rain caused flooding in towns near Valencia, killing 229 people in the surrounding region. Seven more people died in the neighbouring Castilla-La Mancha region, and one person died in Andalucía.
A state memorial ceremony is due to take place on the first anniversary of the tragedy on Wednesday, in Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences complex, with King Felipe and prime minister Pedro Sánchez due to attend.
However, anger at how the regional government managed the crisis a year ago has overshadowed the event. This weekend’s protest will be followed by further demonstrations on Wednesday demanding the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón, due to his actions on the day the floods struck.
RM Block
“Political responsibility has still not been taken and the only information we have received from the Valencia regional government have been lies,” said the platform organising the protest, which represents about 200 civic associations.
[ In pictures: Spain floods 2024Opens in new window ]
For much of the day of the floods, Mr Mazón, of the conservative People’s Party (PP), was absent from the regional government headquarters where the crisis was being managed. It has transpired that he had a three-hour lunch with a journalist in a restaurant and there is still uncertainty regarding his whereabouts leading up to his arrival at the government building after 8pm, by which time dozens of people had died.
He was not present for the issuing of an emergency alarm to people’s phones, warning them not to go out, a measure that appears to have been used several hours too late. A judge is investigating whether there was negligence in the management of the crisis.
One recent poll found that more than 80 per cent of Valencians believe Mr Mazón, who governs with the support of the far-right Vox, should resign, a sentiment that cuts across party lines.
A majority of respondents also disapproved of the handling of the crisis by the central government, which received criticism for delays in deploying aid.
Mr Mazón has frequently been barracked when appearing at public events and his attendance at the state memorial service is still uncertain, with some victims’ families calling on him to stay away.
The PP has insisted that Mr Mazón should be present, saying that he is “the president of the people of the Valencia region and their representative”.
“A lot of people find it difficult to understand that someone in that position has still not resigned after what happened,” says Vicente Carbonero, an IT worker who is going to take part in the protest this weekend. Mr Carbonero is from the town of Alfafar, one of the worst affected by the floods and is secretary of the victims’ organisation, Asociación Damnificados DANA Horta Sud Valencia.
“[Mazón] should not be there and he’s causing us a lot of pain by continuing in his post, and what’s more often with an arrogant, cocky attitude,” he said. “We suffered a lot on the day of the floods and with all the reconstruction that followed. On top of that we have to put up with him.”
In late September torrential rainfall struck again, although this time the regional government issued warnings in good time and despite some material damage no deaths were caused.
However, Mr Carbonero says last year’s tragedy has left a mark on the psyche of local people, with the more recent weather event causing “a lot of fear”.
“It’s like when Covid hit – we all changed a bit,” he says. “People are very scared that [the floods] could happen again.”
