On Saturday, thousands of people protested in the center of Valencia demanding the resignation of regional authorities. The participants of the demonstration believe that they could not prevent the flood, which killed more than 220 people a month ago. According to Spanish media, the situation in the towns affected by the natural disaster is still serious.
According to government estimates, about 100,000 people participated in the demonstrations. It was the second mass protest in Valencia in three weeks. The first event took place on November 9, when approximately 130,000 people gathered in the city center square. people “Resign!”, “Killer!” – the crowd demanded the resignation of the head of the regional government, Carlos Mazon, on Saturday. The politician himself previously refused to resign and only restored his government. Among other things, he appointed retired general Francisco Jose Gan Pampolsa as the vice president for reconstruction.
Show in ValenciaPAP/EPA/KAI FORSTERLING
– We are protesting because we do not fully agree with the actions of the authorities. The people who were involved in the incident make false excuses and do nothing about it. They are not abdicating their duties and neither are we. They could not cope. They should go, said one of the protesting women.
More than 220 killed
More than 220 people died in the tragic floods that occurred in the south and east of Spain at the end of October, most of them in the province of Valencia. The heavy flood destroyed about 120,000 people and destroyed more than 1,600 houses.
Spanish media reports that a month after the disaster, the situation in the affected cities remains dire. The organizers of Saturday's demonstration also emphasized the lack of assistance and the weakness of the authorities.
Protesters demand immediate resignation of Valencia authorities PAP/EPA/KAI FORSTERLING
– A month has passed since the natural disaster. The actions of the authorities are terrible. Together with other volunteers, I go to flood areas and help. We have already cleared the apartments full of debris, but we still need a lot of vehicles that the authorities are not sending, said one person at the protest.
Cars destroyed by floods in Paiporta, Valencia province PAP/EPA/MANUEL BRUQUE
Protest of firefighters in Madrid
About 5,000 firefighters protested in Madrid on Saturday and demanded the approval of regulations on the coordination of services in the face of natural disasters.
“The flood in Valencia showed what we have been warning about for a long time,” said Israel Naveso, the head of the CUBP organization for professional firefighters in Spain, as quoted by the “El Mundo” newspaper.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/KAI FORSTERLING
