A mob of angry flood victims hurled handfuls of mud and rocks at the king and queen of Spain on Sunday, Nov. 3, as the pair visited a region ravaged by the nation’s deadliest natural disaster in memory.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were attacked while traveling to Valencia, the epicenter of last week’s nightmarish flash floods that left at least 205 dead.
“K!llers!” the crowd shouted at the royals in the town of Paiporta, incensed at what they say has been too slow and too little of a government response to the disaster.
“Get out! Get out!” they screamed.
Bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect the royals and other officials from the mud thrown at them. Cops had to step in, several on horseback, to keep back the crowd of several dozen, some wielding shovels and poles.
Two of the official group’s bodyguards were injured, including one seen gushing blood from his forehead, according to Spain’s national broadcaster.
King Felipe, with flecks of mud on his face, still insisted on trying to speak with people. He patted two young men on their backs and shared a quick embrace, with mud stains on his black raincoat.
The queen had small glops of mud on her hands and arms as she spoke to women.
“We don´t have any water,” one woman told her. Queen Letizia broke into tears sympathetically after speaking to several people, including a woman who wept in her arms.
Officials rushed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from the violent scene.
The monarchs and officials called off another stop Sunday at a second hard-hit village, Chiva, about half an hour to the east of Valencia city.
The natural disaster killed at least 205 people in eastern Spain.
The deluge of debris tossed at the monarchs came as Spaniards have been lashing out against their government, which appears overwhelmed and unable to meet the needs of its more than 48 million people.
In addition to the debris attacks, a woman smacked an official car with an umbrella and another kicked it before it sped off. Many people still don’t have drinking water five days after the floods struck. Internet and mobile phone coverage remains patchy. Most people only got power back on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Watch the videos below.
King Felipe Confronted in Valencia Floods
Angry residents booed and threw mud and eggs at Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia as they visited the Valencia region, where more than 200 people have died in devastating floods. pic.twitter.com/N5CCJ6EQd4
— Breaking News (@TheNewsTrending) November 3, 2024
Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were hit in the face with mud during a visit to the flood-ravaged Valencia region. pic.twitter.com/XfSPj8RhIM
— DW News (@dwnews) November 3, 2024