A rally held this Sunday in front of the Colts Valencianes in Valencia called for Mazon a Preso (Mazon to prison) and no negotiations over the future of the Valencians in Mazon. Five days after he announced his resignation as Generalitat president, negotiations between the party and Vox to find his replacement were in the midst of negotiations.
The protests have been called by Accord Social Valencia, a platform supported by more than 200 social, civil society and trade union organizations, which has been organizing monthly demonstrations for the past year under the motto “Mazon Resign” to demand the resignation of the Generalitat over Dana’s “disastrous management”. The new protest movement, supported by other organizations such as the CGT, has changed its motto to “Prisoner Mazon” and demands that the record be set and brought to justice, that all “negligent” Consells resign, and that the public take part in a “real and effective” reconstruction.
Before the event, attendees unfurled a banner that read “Mazon a Preso” (Mazon a Preso), still showing the president’s face facing downwards, and he could be seen wearing prison uniform.
Some relatives demand “justice” for the victims, showing images of the victims with messages such as “They died because of your incompetence” and “You are a murderer.”
Before reading the manifesto, Rosa Álvarez, president of the Dana Death Victims Association, declared that “they do not agree” with the imposition of “a government in the Valencian community” from Madrid, and insisted that Mazon’s resignation was “not enough” because “dignity, justice and reparations have not yet been achieved and responsibility has not been accepted.”
For this reason, on October 29, 2024, Marilo Gradri, president of the Dana Association of Victims, called for the “resignation of all commanders-in-chief,” calling it “unworthy” for “abandoning the Valencian people on the day they needed them most.”
Among the declarations chanted were repeated phrases such as “Mazon in jail” and “Volem Vote” (We want to vote). “Susana Camarello is taking us to the slaughterhouse” or “People’s Party, Criminal Party”.
The appointment was made in the first weekend after the first contact between Vox and PP took place this Friday with the Generalitat to negotiate Carlos Mazon’s replacement, but there is currently no information from either party on the progress of the negotiations.
The rally was held exactly one year after the first demonstration in the city of Valencia calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Masson, which was only 11 days after Dana on October 29, 2024, with more than 130,000 people taking part, according to the government delegation, with organizers pointing out that today’s event “commemorates the event that gave rise to the movement.”
This was followed by 11 demonstrations held around the 29th of every month, mainly in the capital of Valencia, but also in the so-called “Zone Zero” municipalities of Dana, such as Cataluja and Paiporta, where more than 200 organizations, led by the Dana Victims’ Association, convened.
In their manifesto, they demand that Mr. Mazon submit a report and appear in court, that all of his consul generals be held accountable, that the agency be “transparent” so they know “what the recovery funds will be used for,” that construction be prohibited in flood-prone areas and along the coast, and that taxes be increased on high-income earners.
Similarly, they are calling for “the participation of the people of the affected towns in the recovery,” housing solutions for those who have lost everything, and “an end to re-victimization” for those affected.
“We have achieved our first objective, Mr. Mazon’s resignation, and are moving on to our next goal: getting Mr. Consell and Mr. Mazon out of prison,” they said at the event.
Hundreds of people filled Plaza San Lorenzo in front of the municipal council, where the presidential election to replace Mr. Mazon will be held, filling the wide facade of the municipal council from end to end, and ended the event with floral tributes.
First they placed carnations, roses and other white flowers, described as up to 231 for each of Dana’s victims, at the entrance to Les Colts.
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