MADRID, Nov 4:
The Felipe VI and his wife Letizia Ortiz have been pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters during a visit to flood-hit Valencia here on Monday, media reports said.
Shouts of “murderer” and “shame” were directed at the royal couple as they walked through the town of Paiporta – one of the worst-affected in the region, according to BBC.
Objects were also thrown at PM Pedro S?nchez, who was quickly evacuated.
More than 200 people were killed in the floods, the worst in Spain for decades. There has been anger at a perceived lack of warning and insufficient support from authorities after the floods.
In clip showed King Felipe VI making his way down a pedestrian street, before his bodyguards and police were suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of protesters, hurling insults and screaming. Mud on the faces and clothes of the king, Queen Letizia and their entourage, who held umbrellas over the monarch as they departed.
The king said he understood the “anger and frustration” of the protestors in a video posted on the royal household’s Instagram account.
Juan Bordera, a member of the Valencian parliament, called the king’s visit “a very bad decision”.
Authorities “didn’t listen to any warnings,” Mr Bordera told the BBC.
“It’s logical that the people are angry, it’s logical that the people didn’t understand why this visit is so urgent,” he added.
Many communities were cut off, left without access to water, food, electricity & other basic services. On Sunday, the death toll from the flooding rose to 217, with many more feared missing.
(UNI)
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