Associations of victims walk through the center of València with shouts of «The ‘president’ to Picassent», «Murderer» and signs demanding justice
A new protest against the President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, for the management of the dana, has taken place this Sunday in the center of València demanding his resignation, as well as «political and criminal responsibilities», «transparency and truth» and a reconstruction «for the people» that does not turn its back on them or on «scientific advice» and does not follow a model for «the business of a few».
The march took place on June 29, coinciding with the eighth month of the storm that on October 29 caused floods and more than 200 deaths in various Valencian towns, called by civic, social and union entities, victim associations, Local Emergency and Reconstruction Committees (CLER) and the Valencian Social Agreement.
The protest, with 5,000 participants according to the Government Delegation and 4,500 according to the Local Police, started shortly after 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall square of València and ended its route in the Plaza de la Virgen after passing through Calle San Vicente, Plaza de la Reina and Calle del Micalet.
The demonstration was led by a group of tabal i dolçaina who also closed the event by performing ‘La muixeranga’. Following these musicians, the head of the march followed, behind a banner carried by representatives of the victim associations with the slogan ‘Mazón Dimissió’ where a black ribbon in mourning and an image of the ‘president’ upside down could also be seen.
Participants displayed posters calling for the resignation of the head of the Consell and justice for family members and loved ones who lost their lives due to the dana. Likewise, they carried images of deceased individuals and shouted slogans such as «The ‘president’ to Picassent», «Murderer» or «While he was eating, people were drowning». As the march progressed, its members received applause from citizens gathered on the sides of the route, as well as upon entering the Plaza de la Virgen.
At the end, with all participants already in the Plaza de la Virgen and in front of the Palau de la Generalitat, an alert like the one that sounded on mobile phones of the population on October 29 was heard for a few moments, an alert that arrived «late and badly» and that «resulted in 228 deaths,» said the president of the Associació de Víctimes de la Dana-29 d’Octubre, Mariló Gradolí, to the media before starting the protest.
Gradolí emphasized the «importance» of emergencies and stated that «a timely and proper alert would have saved many lives». Some protesters displayed several posters with the phrase ‘Our family members have died due to your incompetence, negligence and failure to fulfill your duty. No meetings, no forgiveness, we demand actions. Mazón resignation, Mazón to prison. Dignity, respect, strength. We are a people’ and others proclaimed «These are not deaths, they are murders» and «We do not forget you».
Before reading the manifesto that closed the protest, a representative of the groups that promoted it stated that the demand for resignation for the head of the Consell «is not enough» and they stated that they want to see him «in prison». «He does not deserve the position he holds, he does not deserve to be the President of the Generalitat,» she said, while thanking the attendance at the demonstration.
«NO VACATIONS»
«The fight for truth and justice does not take vacations,» she added to introduce the reading of the manifesto, in which they indicated that «the cause of the magnitude of the tragedy» of October 29 was «the negligence of the Generalitat government» and criticized the attempt to «impose a normality that does not exist».
«They strive to make the economy work while people’s lives continue to be shattered,» the text states, noting that the Consell «continues to hide and constantly lie to the population to protect itself, control the narrative, and stay in power» while civil society «faces it» and responds «with organization, dignity, and guided by the ideas of solidarity and mutual support».
The manifesto also denounced «the lack of housing alternatives» for the affected, the destruction of jobs, and the situation of workers included in the ERTE of the dana who do not receive 100% of their salary. Furthermore, it called for an investigation into «the negligence of companies that endangered the lives of their workers» on October 29 and criticized the «chaos» in public services, such as transportation and healthcare, following the floods and the state of educational centers.
The document also referred to the reconstruction and indicated that «the Consell is allocating public funds to companies convicted of corruption to work» on that task. «Enough of propaganda and exchanging accusations without taking responsibility. Reconstruction cannot be done with lies and turning your back on the affected people,» the text adds.
«FALSE RECONSTRUCTION»
The president of the Associació Víctimes Mortals DANA 29-O, Rosa Álvarez, also stated, before the start of the march and in statements to the media, that the reconstruction is «false» and «has nothing to do with reality». «There are many things that need to be advanced» such as «elevators that still do not work», «there is money, but pieces and labor are missing,» she said.
Álvarez pointed out that «there are 13 schools that need to be rebuilt from scratch, starting over» and highlighted «the great work that the CLES are doing in mapping the needs». She announced that her association will visit the Ahr Valley in Germany on July 2 to «compare how it was reconstructed there and how it is being reconstructed here» and criticized that the Les Corts commission on the dana «reduces» the participation of the entities of those affected.
She also thanked those who attended the demonstration this Sunday, a day of «heatwave,» and noted that even though there were fewer people than other times, they did not back down: «the families are here. It’s been eight months, 243 days without our family members.»
«HE HAS NOT TAKEN ANY RESPONSIBILITY»
Mariló Gradolí, on the other hand, criticized that Mazón «has still not taken any responsibility for what happened on October 29». «Regardless of the number, we are here out of dignity and to demand the resignation of Carlos Mazón,» she pointed out.
On behalf of the PSPV, its Secretary of Organization, Vicent Mascarell, stated at the beginning of the march that «eight months have passed without a response» and appealed to «the responsibility of an absent government president».