▲ Emergency teams, with the help of machinery, remove damaged vehicles in the town of Catarroja.Photo Ap
▲ Felipe VI tried in vain to speak with residents of Paiporta, the community most affected.Photo Afp
Armando G. Tejeda
Correspondent
La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, November 4, 2024, p. 24
Madrid. With balls of mud and screams of murderers!the residents of Paiporta – one of the towns most affected by the torrential rains in Valencia and where it is estimated that there are more than 100 deaths – received the official delegation headed by Kings Felipe VI and Letizia and the presidents of the Spanish and Valencian governments. , Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón, respectively.
They have left us alone!shouted citizens angered by the lack of alerts before the hit of the isolated depression at high levels (DANA), with storms that last Tuesday dumped an amount of water equivalent to what falls in a year, which until yesterday had left 216 dead , some 1,900 missing and great devastation.
In this unprecedented protest, most of the insults were directed at President Sánchez, who was removed by his security team. Bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect the monarchs and officials while people threw mud at them.
Police had to intervene, including some officers on horseback, to keep hundreds of people at bay, many of whom were brandishing shovels and sticks.
Express visit
The objective of the official visit was for Kings Felipe and Letizia to be with the victims at the epicenter of the tragedy, but a few minutes after starting the tour, the insults and the throwing of mud balls, stones and other objects began, which which precipitated the suspension of the visit, as well as the cancellation of the tour to a second location, Chiva.
With cries of murderers!, traitors!, Sons of bitches! and out!the outraged citizens caused nervousness in the official delegation, which finally dispersed, which followed the departure of Sánchez, who was escorted to his official vehicle and once inside he was surrounded by neighbors who attacked the car with kicks, with shovels to plow the land and with their own fists.
The vehicle was damaged and had some broken glass, while the rest of the official delegation was repelled with the massive throwing of mud balls.
After being forced to seek protection, Felipe VI, with mud stains on his face and on his black raincoat, remained calm and tried to talk to some residents. He did it with several. It was known and no one did anything to prevent it.a young man demanded. A woman approached the queen and said: You have everything, water, everything, and we have been left with nothing and no one helps us.
Other locals explained that This is not against you, it is against Sánchez and Mazón, who have left us sold.
Images online showed the monarch crying as she hugged some residents. His hair and face had traces of mud.
We must understand the anger and frustration of many people because of how bad they have had it.Felipe VI said later in a meeting at the rescue coordination center.
Sánchez, for his part, appeared a few hours later to express his rejection of any type of violence and warn that The main objective is to save lives, recover the bodies of those who may have died from this tragedy and strive to rebuild..
The last report of deaths due to the torrential rains rose to 216, the majority in the Valencian Community –212–, three in Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalusia. And although the request for help continues to be a cry in the affected towns, the regional government decided to decree the limitation of movements due to the warning of more storms throughout the day; Despite the ban, thousands of volunteers decided to skip it and go to help the victims with water, food and tools to clean their houses and streets.
There could be more victims in a parking lot
The mayor of Bonaire, Guillermo Luján, reported that the Military Emergency Unit is already working with specialized divers in the 5,700-space parking lot that is completely flooded and where it is feared that there will be fatalities, since at the time it was He ordered their immediate eviction. There were about 700 people. What we are going to find there can be devastating.acknowledged the mayor on the verge of tears.
Anger is growing following the authorities’ failure to respond to the tragedy, caused in part by climate change. Cleaning up mud and debris is done primarily by thousands of residents and volunteers.
Local media reported last night a possible involvement of far-right groups. Some protesters wore t-shirts with symbols of far-right organizations. We are not going to deviate despite what may happen to some absolutely marginal violent peoplesaid Sánchez, referring to the incidents and the need to repair the damage caused by the flood.
At press time, heavy rains were reported in Tarragona and Catalonia, which is why classes in that area were suspended this Monday.
