Twelve days have passed since October 29, a day that will remain marked in the memory of Valencians as the date on which the sky fell on them. Twelve days when the inhabitants of Valencia, still in shock after seeing their homes and neighborhoods devastated and crossing their fingers that their loved ones would come out safe and sound, worked day and night while waiting for help which did not arrive in due to the terrible management of part of the Generalitat which has left dozens of municipalities in the balance. Twelve days where forces focused on aid; But this Saturday mud outrage exploded against the main culprit of the disaster before, during and after DANA: Carlos Mazon.
With dirty boots after another day of work, the Valencians left their brooms to flock to the Valencia Town Hall Square where they made it clear that they wanted and wanted the resignation of the President of the Generalitat. A demonstration which started at 6 p.m. and brought together nearly 130,000 people. marked by a banner with the currency “Mazón resigned”and the image of him, head down and wearing the emergency vest. This was carried by representatives of the entities directly affected by the DANA floods, which caused more than 200 deaths and thousands of victims in 75 municipalities of the province.
“For five days, the Valencian people have been abandoned to their fate and to united and voluntary work”. “We demand the resignation of Mazón and that a judicial investigation be opened to clarify responsibilities.” The messages were clear throughout the demonstration. A manifestation of rage and mourning where helplessness transformed into cries towards the Generalitat and where the most repeated message was “Mazón, resignation”.
In what was supposed to be a silent march out of respect for the victims, screams filled an atmosphere that suggested that Valencians considered that the Generalitat not only had not been up to the task, but that it Management was disastrous and non-existent. A protest that is already the first great example of rejecting mud indignation and that leaves several questions as banners: “Where was Mazón while the people were drowning?
The Valencian PP, ‘mute’ after the demonstration
And while thousands and thousands of people participated in a march that took place not only in the streets of Valencia, but also in Madrid, Alicante and other Valencian cities, Carlos Mazón looked away and tried to delegitimize the voice of the people by claiming that The demonstration was “politicized”. The Popular Party of the Valencian Community, through a message shared on the social network “Today it is a politicized demonstration. The Catalan entities of the “Països Catalans” come to sow trouble and collapse the city of Valencia. They don’t care about the victims, only about politics,” they said.
According to him, “it is a moment of respect and memory, and not of taking advantage of the tragedy for selfish ends.” The PSOE and Compromís should respect the pain of all Valencians and stop these actions”. While the demonstration was taking place, the party profile in X published new comments with accusations against the CHJ.
“The Hydrographic Confederation had data on the flood and alerted very late, the ravine was already overflowing. National Security informed the government and it said nothing.” The party also insisted that “we asked for help and the Spanish government refuses us, Valencians, 25 billion dollars to move forward. They have no shame.” “They knew and they didn’t warn us and now they don’t want to help us either.”.
A strategy that was repeated during the protest. Carlos Mazón, on his X account, also shared a message in the middle of the protest and not to talk about it, but to highlight the cleaning work in the areas affected by DANA. “All municipalities have technical examination services. Thank you to the colleges of architects and surveyors”he wrote on social networks.
Silence in Genoa
And from Genoa? Did they criticize themselves after seeing the streets full of Valencians who did not welcome the decisions of their formation at the Generalitat? Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Sources of the PP in Sexta They preferred not to speak out and remained silent. about the massive demonstration in Valencia. But they did not remain silent, they went further and focused on at Minister Teresa Ribera’s house in a strategy to ask for his resignation when, if this is the case, the president of the Generalitat falls.
Lies and inconsistencies to try to cover up faulty management. The Valencian Generalitat has not yet chanted the mea culpa and everything indicates that it will not do so, at least until the apocalyptic scenario of Valencia returns to a certain normality. The president declared this Saturday DANA’s political responsibilities “will be fulfilled in due time”after being asked if he would keep the Minister of Justice and Interior, Salomé Pradas, in power, because we must now continue cleaning the streets, helping people and facing health risks. It is now a matter of “rebuilding”, he says.
Timeline of terrible management
Despite everything, Mazón finds himself between a rock and a hard place. If his management was already in the spotlight, the lies and the list of contradictions and inconsistencies They have finished stoning their credibility and putting the “popular” on a tightrope. And it all starts on the same day as DANA. On October 29 at 5 p.m., the key meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (CECOPI) to deal with DANA (despite the fact that there was a red alert from 9:41 a.m. and that at 12:20 a.m. CECOPI itself even reported a hydrological alert) has started. Yes indeed, Someone was missing: the president of the Generalitat.
A few days later, after many comings and goings, we learned that arrived two hours late at said meeting because he was eating with journalist Maribel Vilaplana to offer you the management of the Valencian television channel À Punt. One problem, the election of positions on public television, which his party strongly criticized the PSOE for not having suspended the plenary session during which the renewal of RTVE was voted on, the day after the floods.
So when did Mazón arrive? The President of the Generalitat went to CECOPI when he was informed that the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) had warned that the flow in the Rambla de Poyo exceeded 1,700 cubic meters per second and after learning that there was a risk of rupture of the Forata dam. A communication that occurred at 6:45 p.m. A total of two hours where The president was held incommunicado without responding to a single call.
Indeed, the Minister of Justice and Interior, Salomé Pradas, was very upset and blocked when she entered and left the room and “did not know what to do.” Finally, when Mazón arrived (late) to this meeting, “we had to explain to him the topics discussed.” In the middle, a discussion about the content of the message which delayed the launch for another hour an alert which was given at 8:11 p.m., late and with overflowing people due to the flood which devastated several villages and saw their neighbors see a Dantean image of the deadliest cold drop in the democratic history of Spain.