Tens of thousands of angered protesters took to the streets for the third time on Sunday evening (December 29) in Valencia as the aftermath of the DANA floods continues and frustration grows across the major Spanish city.
The anger is mostly directed at the president of the region, Carlos Mazón, who has been blamed for his apparent poor handling of the events during the dangerous floods of October 29.
The flash flooding in Valencia saw the deaths of 223 people, with three still reported as missing 62 days later.
The march started in the Plaza de San Augustin and was led by seven tractors.
The protest was called by approximately 60 civic, social and left-wing organisations with the backing of around 150 groups – all of whom called for the resignation of Mazón.
Organisers said they were after “truth, justice and reparation”, due to the “inactivity, lack of responsibility and disastrous management” of the Valencian Government to deal with the disaster.
The numbers involved were estimated by the Government Delegation in Valencia, with the previous two demonstrations attracting over 100,000 people each time.
Minutes before the demonstration began, a spokesperson accused Mazon of “denying the evidence” and only being interested in putting “an end to a very difficult situation”.
He added that Valencian society will not forget the dead and missing, and will not rest until the person “most responsible for these deaths resigns and is jailed”.
Seven tractors led the rally as a tribute to the farmers who have assisted in clean up efforts and as a symbol of the work of people who helped to rebuild what was lost “in the face of being abandonment by institutions”.
Behind them were the demonstrators, chanting “Murderer!” and “Criminal!” as they carried signs with the slogan that has been repeated in the two previous demonstrations with “Mazon resign”, on posters with his image upside down and a black ribbon.
Also raised aloft was a cardboard cut-out of the president with his hands stained with blood, to demand the purification of responsibilities for the management “before, during and after” the flood to show the Valencian Government was helping citizens but serving “the personal and political interests of the president and business profits”.
Relatives of victims were at the front of the demonstration – critical about the lack of help over two months later.
Critics highlighted delays in emergency alerts and aid delivery, with some residents reporting that warnings arrived only after floodwaters swamped their homes. In several areas, immediate rescue efforts depended on volunteers as official support lagged.
The frustration reached a boiling point on November 3 during a visit by King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Mazón to the disaster zone. Survivors pelted the delegation with mud, a moment that shocked the nation.
