Fifty Thousand People Protest in Valencia, One Year After the Deadly Floods
More than 50,000 demonstrators gathered today in the center of Valencia to honor the victims of last year’s floods and to protest against the regional authorities.
They called for the resignation of the regional government president Carlos Mason, whom they consider responsible for the poor management of the disaster.
The floods in October 2024 claimed 229 lives in the Valencian region — the biggest catastrophe to hit Spain in recent decades.
The figure of 50,000 people was confirmed to Agence France-Presse by local authorities, while the organizers have not issued any statement — reports Danas.
Among the demonstrators marching to the regional government headquarters, some wore T-shirts printed with the faces of their deceased loved ones.
“People are still angry! Why didn’t they evacuate people despite the heavy rain? It’s incomprehensible,” one of the protesters told reporters.
Even back then, when images of flooded and muddy streets from Valencia spread across the world, residents criticized the authorities’ actions and the way they were warned and rescued, while the left-wing federal government in Madrid and the right-wing regional authorities blamed each other.
In Spain, a highly decentralized country, managing climate disasters falls under the jurisdiction of the regions.
Since then, public anger has not subsided.
Residents continue to tirelessly demand accountability from regional president Carlos Mason, whom they accuse of failing to adequately warn them of the dangers posed by the rainfall.
The floods affected around 80 towns in the Valencia region.
A few days ago, the body of a man was found several dozen kilometers from where he disappeared a year ago.
