Thousands gather in Valencia to demand the resignation of Carlos Mazón

A human tide of emotion and anger took to the streets and squares in the heart of the city of Valencia on Saturday evening – some 130,000 people according to regional government sources – to protest against the management of the tragedy caused by the devastating flood eleven days ago which took the lives of more than 220 people as well as demand the resignation of the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, and his entire cabinet.

Organised by some 65 groups, including social and civic organisation and left-wing unions in the Comunidad Valenciana, and supported by another 83, the march began just after 6.00pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and ended about an hour a half later in front of the Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana.

The protest started without any serious incidents, although some flares and mud were thrown at the town hall building at the start of the march, actions which required the intervention of the riot police units of the Policía Nacional. Mud and paint was also thrown at the Palau de la Generalitat, its façade also sprayed with graffiti whilst many protest banners were left behind as the crowd dispersed.

During the march, the protestors of all ages shouted several slogans against the PP’s Mazón: “El president a Picassent” (alluding to the prison located some 5km south of the town), “Mazón dimite, sal del escondite” (“Mazón resign, come out of hiding“) and “el pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (“the people united will never been defeated“). Others held up signs calling for the president to be “swept away like the mud”. There were also some protestors calling for the resignation of Pedro Sánchez, the president of Spain, who was forced to flee Paiporta last weekend after members of the public turned on him during a visit to the affected area with Mazón and the King and Queen.

Emotions hit new heights when the front of the march reached the Plaza del Virgen where a huge crowd was waiting for it, thousands of people who had not been able to reach the start point, who broke into applause whilst one of those holding the banner at the head of the procession shouted that “they didn’t warn us in time, the murderers!”

At around 7.45pm, the protest reached the headquarters of the Generalitat Valenciana. Several pairs of muddy boots were placed in front of the building, a simple but hugely symbolic act, as the huge crowd immaculately observed a minute of silence in honour of those who had been killed in the disaster. Afterwards, three people who had been affected by the tragedy read a manifesto which claimed that October 29th marked the start of the worst episode of political contempt and human tragedy in the history of the Comunidad Valenciana, and its people remained in mourning.

The manifesto also called for the resignation of Carlos Mazón, revealed that legal proceedings were to be initiated to determine and clarify who was responsible for “the avoidable consequences of the catastrophe”, and the resignation of an “incompetent Valencian government that has shown it cannot rise to the occasion”.

In addition, it accused the Generalitat Valenciana of attempting to cover up its negligence and condemned what it called the “inexplicable delay” in the arrival of the emergency forces to the affected areas due to the “lack of agility and coordination” between the autonomous and state administration, which left the Valencian people “five days abandoned to their fate”.

The Government of Spain, led by PSOE’s Pedro Sánchez, didn’t escape criticism either and the manifesto accused it of failing to put “immediate and forceful pressure on the Valencian Government in the face of its inaction to intervene with all available personnel and help citizens to rebuild their lives”. At the end of the reading, the traditional Valencian song ‘Moixeranga’ was played and the main banner was left in front of the Palau de la Generalitat.

The Valencian PP responded to the protests by accusing Catalanist groups of stirring up trouble and “politicising” the demonstration. “[They] come to cause trouble and collapse the city of Valencia. They don’t care about the victims, only about politics.” The ombudsman in Les Corts also condemned “the political and partisan use of the victims,” adding that “it is time for respect and memory, not for taking advantage of the tragedy for self-interested ends. The PSOE and Compromís should be respecting the pain of all Valencians and ceasing these actions.”

The Valencian PP also reiterated its accusations against the Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar (CHJ) of failing to provide warnings about the flooding until very late and also accused the Spanish Government of not only failing to provide adequate warning but also of denying Valencians of 25 billion euros in recovery aid. “They have no shame. They knew it and they didn’t warn us and now they don’t want to help either.”

Latest official figures put the number of confirmed fatalities at 222 – 214 in the Comunidad Valenciana, 7 in Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalusia – whilst the number of those rescued from the flood waters has increased to 36,721.