Over 100,000 protesters continue to line the streets of Valencia in outcry over mismanagement of the dana floods. Credit: Pipa417, Twitter.
Hundreds of thousands of angered protesters plan to take to the streets of Valencia for a third time as the aftermath of the Dana floods continue and frustration beckons across the major Spanish city.
The anger is mostly directed at the president of the region, Carlos Mazón, who has been at blame for his apparent poor handling of events conspiring amidst dangerous floods on October 29, which saw 223 casualties, and 3 still reported as missing.
Farmers are one of the communities most damagingly impacted by this disaster, and have offered their tractors to lead the charge in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, just as they did to stem the tragedy of the floods at the end of October.
Chants of ‘Mazón, Dimisión’ (Mazón, resign), ‘Mazón a la Preso’ (Mazón, the prisoner), and ‘El Presidente, a Picassent’ (the president, to Picassent, Valencia’s most notorious prison), have previously been screamed and scrawled on signs during the justice-motivated rallies which have amassed around 130,000 protestors, according to Spanish news outlet Efe.
Protesters continue to threaten that Mazón’s resignation commences immediately, feeling they, along with the rest of the citizens of Valencia, were notified of floods far too late. Protestors clashed with police, throwing chairs and other objects, Reuters reports.
Anna Oliver, one of the organisers leading the charge, told Reuters: “We want to show our indignation and anger over the poor management of this disaster which has affected so many people”.
Last month, the King and Queen of Spain were attacked by mud thrown by infuriated protestors as they paid a visit to Paiporta, a region of Valencia most impacted by the floods.
Countless homes were evacuated due to the devastation of the floods, which are now shrouded in mud and debris, yet Mazón has come out to defend himself. He stated the disaster was unforeseeable, and his officials did not receive apt warning from central governments.
Weather agencies issued warnings on the 25th of October, but Valencian authorities did not issue any kind of warning until hours into the floods, when mobile devices across the region were suddenly alerted.
Intriguingly, local media reported that as the flooding took place, Mazón met with a journalist for lunch and did not arrive at the emergency meeting scheduled for 19:00 pm. El Pais was informed by government groups that this was however “irrelevant”, but the people of Valencia continue to demand justice, and for the hope of Mazón to step down as president.
Dana, a phenomenon that takes place when warm air meets cold air, creating an unpredictable and volatile weather system, has cost the livelihood of thousands of citizens in Valencia. This should serve as a stark warning to society as a whole to fight for change as global warming continues to be an urgent threat.
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