Spanish royals' visit to flood-hit town was the king's idea, despite ...

The Sunday visit by the king and queen of Spain to Paiporta, in the flood-hit region of Valencia, was a personal initiative of Felipe VI, who decided to head for the eastern area after historic flash floods dumped over a year’s worth of rainfall in just a few hours on Tuesday, leaving a trail of destruction on an unprecedented scale and a death toll that stands at 214 but could still rise as workers continue to dig out cars from the mud.

According to government sources, the king wanted to personally greet the residents of Paiporta and Chiva, two of the towns hardest hit by the natural disaster. But instead of a warm welcome, the monarchs and other top government officials, including Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Valencia’s regional premier Carlos Mazón, were booed out of town to cries of “murderers” and “grab a shovel,” reflecting the widespread feeling that the government’s response has been slow and insufficient. Some people hurled mud and objects at the group of officials as they passed by, and one of their vehicles was damaged. Several members of the security detail were slightly injured in the scuffles and one of them required stitches.

At one point, Queen Letizia was sprayed with water and covered in mud. Looking shocked, she held both hands to her face as a woman shouted at her: “You don’t lack water! You don’t lack anything!” reflecting a shared frustration by people who have lost it all to the natural disaster and feel abandoned by the authorities. Residents and town mayors have been complaining from day one about the lack of help, which has been partly offset by the arrival of thousands of self-organized volunteers. Paiporta, with a population of 29,000, has lost around 70 residents to the rainfall and flooding.

In statements to the television station La Sexta, Spain’s Transportation Minister Óscar Puente said that “perhaps it was not the most opportune moment” to visit, since “tempers were very heated,” but he also denounced the actions of far-right groups “that wanted to take advantage of citizens’ indignation.”

During the visit, King Felipe could be seen trying to calm people down, defending the government’s response, and warning about the hoaxes circulating on social media. “Do not pay attention to everything that is being published because there is a lot of information intoxication,” he said. “There are many people interested in sowing chaos.”

Spain’s center-left government has attributed the worst incidents to far-right groups, and security forces are working to identify individuals who threw objects and damaged property. In television footage, several far-right rioters were identified thanks to their clothing. A young man seen speaking with Felipe VI was wearing a Blue Division shirt, of the kind that volunteers from Francoist Spain wore from 1941 to 1943 while serving within the German Army. A few hours after the events, a union called Solidarity, which has ties to Spain’s ultranationalist party Vox, posted a message on X offering its services to individuals under investigation: “If anyone is arrested or fined, our legal services are at your disposal free of charge.”

Outraged neighbors insulted visiting officials on Sunday in Paiporta. Ana Escobar (EFE)

A senior security official did not hesitate to describe the visit on Sunday as a “mistake;” another source said that what happened was “foreseeable,” especially due to the presence of the prime minister, who is a socialist (PSOE), and the regional premier, of the conservative Popular Party (PP).

Following the visit to Paiporta, the Royal Household issued a statement announcing that “by joint agreement of the state, regional and Royal Household authorities, the visit to Chiva [which was scheduled for Sunday afternoon] is being postponed.”

King Felipe, surrounded by angry residents, during his visit to Paiporta.BIEL ALINO (EFE)

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