Alex Trelinski
THE latest protest demanding the resignation of Valencian president Carlos Mazon over his handling of the October flood disaster attracted around 15,000 people on Thursday evening.
It was the seventh demonstration in Valencia City against Mazon since November and was held exactly seven months after the October 29 floods that claimed 228 lives.
The protest was called by around 200 groups including flood victim associations and trade unions.
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The march started from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and ended in the Plaza de la Virgen, next to the Valencian government building.
A manifesto was read that blamed the severity of the disaster on ‘the negligence’ of the Valencian Government.
Slogans were chanted demanding that Mazon resign and that he be jailed in Picassent prison.
Banners included messages that Mazon was a coward and proclaimed his guilt.
Protest organisers blamed the president and the Valencian government for ‘a natural catastrophe becoming a human catastrophe, when they ignored their responsibilities in an act of complete incompetence’.
One of the flood victim group presidents, Rosa Alvarez, described Mazon as ‘squatting in the presidential position.”
“He should have gone on October 30 and the presidency should be taken by somebody else- even if it is somebody from the same political party.”
“Our relatives died because he did not warn or anticipate what everyone knew was coming,” Alvarez added.
Another victim group leader, Marilo Gradoli, said they are continuing to call for Mazon’s resignation because ‘he continues to lie’ and does not pay attention to victims who have not yet ‘got justice’.
