By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - An estimated 130,000 protesters flooded the streets of Valencia on Saturday, expressing outrage over the political handling of catastrophic floods that left more than 220 people dead.
The main banner of the protest demanded the resignation of Carlos Mazon, president of the region of Valencia.
The demonstration was initially planned as a silent march, but chants like “Murderer,” “While he was dining, the people were drowning,” and “We are covered in mud, you are covered in blood” echoed throughout the night.
During the march, protesters clashed with police outside city hall.
Organizers called the Valencian government “incompetent,” insisting that the entire cabinet should step down.
“They didn’t know how to manage a natural catastrophe, they didn’t know how to alert us on time, they didn’t know how to organize the cleanup, and of course, they will not be able to handle the reconstruction that Valencia needs,” a spokesperson told news agency Europa Press.
Twelve days after a storm system caused the deadliest natural disaster in Spain’s recent history, authorities have confirmed 223 deaths, with 48 bodies still unidentified. According to Transport Minister Oscar Puente, 78 people remain missing.
Much of the criticism is directed at the Valencian government for issuing alerts to residents' phones only after the worst of the floods had already subsided. As a result, many victims were caught off guard in their cars or on the ground floors of buildings.
This week, Spanish media reported that Mazon was having a long lunch with a journalist until 6 p.m. on the day of the floods. He arrived more than two hours late to the emergency meeting where the decision to issue alerts was made.
Protesters also condemned the slow response time, noting that some towns were isolated for days before receiving aid. Even four days after the disaster, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro SAnchez admitted that authorities “must do better.”
Some also criticized Spain’s central government for refusing to declare a state of emergency, which would have centralized power.