Valencia, Spain, witnessed a massive protest condemning the authorities’ response to a devastating natural disaster. Demonstrators demanded accountability for the mishandling of the crisis.
The city center was packed with protesters on Saturday night, leading to clashes with riot police near Valencia’s city hall. Videos captured police using batons to disperse marchers heading towards the regional government’s headquarters.
In Spain, regional governments are responsible for civil protection and can seek additional support from the national government in Madrid.
Carlos Mazon, Valencia’s current conservative leader, is under pressure to resign as his administration failed to issue flood warnings promptly. He defended his actions by citing unforeseeable circumstances and blamed Madrid for inadequate communication.
Despite Spain’s weather agency issuing a red alert early on Tuesday morning, Mazon’s administration delayed sending alerts to residents until much later. The slow and disorganized response has drawn criticism as the death toll from the disaster continues to rise.
People hold placards as civil groups and unions protest against Valencia’s regional leader Carlos Mazon [Eva Manez/Reuters]
In severely affected areas outside Valencia, volunteers were quicker in providing aid than official forces mobilized by the government days later. Protest banners accused authorities of negligence with slogans like “You killed us!” echoing through the streets.
Post from www.aljazeera.com