— I don't know what time the demonstration will end, but I know that Mazon should sit. He is a murderer, he is responsible for the death of over 200 people, Jose, who arrived at Placa de Sant Agusti an hour and a half before the start of the protest, told PAP.
His opinion was shared by approximately 50,000 people. residents of Valencia, who on Saturday evening chanted, among others: “Mazon – a criminal!”, “Mazon to resign!”, and “We will not forget, we will not forgive”.
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What were the reasons for the protests in Valencia?
How many people died as a result of floods in 2024?
Who is the head of the regional government in Valencia?
When is the next protest planned?
The crowd was particularly animated by the slogan: “President to Picassent.” In this town, located about 20 km south of Valencia, there is one of the largest prisons in Spain.
Mazon, who is a politician of the opposition People's Party (PP), is accused of, among other things, having a long, three-hour dinner with a journalist on October 29, during the initial stages of the flood. The politician himself claims that he was in constant contact with his colleagues and carried out the activities planned for that day. For this reason, he refuses to resign and blames other institutions for the inadequate response to the crisis.
“We demand truth for all victims”
— We still don't know what Carlos Mazon was doing that day, we demand the truth for all the victims, said Marilo Gradoli, president of the Association of Victims of DANA, as floods caused by extreme weather phenomena are called in Spain, before the demonstration.
Protesters have been regularly gathering in the center of Valencia for several months to force the government to take responsibility for the events of late October 2024.
Entire families with children came to Saturday's rally, which then turned into a march through the central streets of the city, also chanting anti-government slogans. The banners they brought compared Mazon to a rat, and a large effigy depicted the head of the regional government in prison clothes and with bloody hands.
At the rally, in addition to the flags of Valencia, there were also flags of the communist party, Palestine and trade union organizations. Although the main wave of criticism was directed at Mazon, in the square where demonstrators gathered, you could also see leaflets with the image of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and a distorted quote: “If they need help, let them ask for it.”
During the demonstration, invitations to the next protest were distributed, which is to take place on Wednesday – exactly on the anniversary of the tragic floods. A state funeral for the victims is also to be held then.
Victims after floods in Spain
At the end of October 2024, floods in the Valencian Community resulted in the death of 229 people. Three were reported missing, and the body of one of them was found last week. Thousands of volunteers then rushed to help the inhabitants of the region, and the government announced several days of national mourning, announcing help for the injured.
Violent storms, floods and flooding are the result of an atmospheric phenomenon (DANA, Spanish: depresionaislada en niveles altos), which occurs when cold air meets warm and humid air over the Mediterranean Sea. This leads to extreme weather events such as storms, tornadoes and floods.
