The Madrid Student Union joined this Tuesday in the call for a general student strike at the state level. The students wanted to show their solidarity with those affected by DANA which hit the Valencian Community hard and demanded the resignation of Carlos Mazón, president of the Generalitat. The main protest event took place at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol at 12:00 p.m., where dozens of students and representatives of social groups gathered.
Under the motto “Valencia, you are not alone, we are at your side”, the demonstrators gathered with banners, flags and protest slogans. The mobilization received the support of various student and social organizations, and was a cry against the leadership of the Generalitat Valenciana: “its incompetence, our deaths” or “Mazón, resignation and also to prison” were some of the slogans of the concentrates.
The young people wanted to remind us that the disaster is not only the result of a natural disaster but that it is “the result of years of budget cuts and policies that placed the benefit of a few above ours.” lives “. In this sense, Ana Mayoral, philosophy student, explained to elDiario.es that she considers the PP’s suppression of the Valencian Emergency Unit a “shame” and asks for more resources for reconstruction work.
Zadquiel, member of the Contracorriente organization, one of the many participants in the protest, denounced the “negligence” of the Generalitat and the “failure of the functions” of the central government and wanted to recall that these environmental disasters are going to be more increasingly recurrent due to the effects of climate change.
The Students’ Union manifesto directly names Carlos Mazón as one of the main culprits for the tragedy, accusing him of not having acted in time despite weather warnings. In addition, they criticize the central government of Pedro Sánchez for its inaction and lack of immediate intervention in the affected areas.
The students also point the finger at large employers, whom they accuse of having forced their workers to keep their jobs during the red alert, prioritizing economic benefits rather than personal safety: “Our lives, their profits” and “ with this to produce, they send us to die,” chant the concentrated young people.
The protest also became a tribute to the thousands of volunteers, many of them young, who worked tirelessly to help those affected in Valencia. “Long live the struggle of the volunteers,” shouted the young people, contrasting with the harsh criticism of the “institutional apathy” shown by the authorities.
The demonstrators also took the opportunity to denounce the action of the police during the massive demonstration which took place last Saturday in Valencia: “I would like them to bring out the shovels as quickly as the batons”, declared Jorge, a high school student.
The student organization called for assemblies and commissions to be organized in all institutes and universities in the country to express support for working families and Valencian youth, who are facing a complicated situation after the floods. “We must fill institutes and universities with activities, banners and posters, with actions demanding justice and reparation,” the union’s statement said.
At the end of the demonstration, the students asked that the situation not be forgotten as the days go by and that solidarity and the demand for responsibility continue to flood the streets. “Today we, the students, say: València, you are not alone,” concluded the Student Union spokespersons.
