Days after intense flash flooding swept through the Valencia region in eastern Spain, killing more than 200 people, angry residents in the town of Paiporta hurled mud at King Felipe VI, PM Pedro Sanchez and regional officials who were visiting the hard-hit area. (AP)
Our Take
The barrage of mud, and reportedly some rocks, seen in Paiporta is not a common sight for post-natural disaster protests. But it is par for the course for anger to be directed at elected officials when they are blamed for failures in disaster response.
That is the case in Valencia, where the state’s response to the flooding has been slow, with residents so far relying more on civil society and volunteers for the cleanup effort. In the town of Paiporta, for instance, many residents still had not received basic necessities when Felipe and Sanchez arrived.