Spain. Media about the king and queen's visit to flood-affected areas

On Sunday, Philip VI and his wife Letitia visited the areas affected by the flood. They were accompanied by the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the head of the regional government, Carlos Mazon. Their presence caused a violent reaction from the residents, and mud and insults were thrown at the royal couple and politicians..

In its Monday publication, the El Pais newspaper wrote that despite warnings about possible consequences, King Felipe VI decided to go to the eastern part of the country and visit the areas most affected by the flood. Citing government sources, “El Pais” reported that the monarch wanted to personally meet the residents of Paiporta and Chiva.

“However, instead of a warm welcome, the royal couple and high-ranking government officials, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the head of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, were booed in Paiport with shouts of 'murderer' and 'grab the shovel',” reported “El Pais”, adding that this “reflected a widespread feeling that the government's response was slow and insufficient.”

People threw mud at government officials passing by. According to “El Pais”, several security guards were injured during the struggle, one of them required stitches.

The daily “El Pais” wrote that “at one point Queen Letizia was doused with water and thrown mud.” “She looked shocked and pressed both hands to her face when one of the women shouted at her: 'You're not missing water, you're not missing anything!'” the newspaper reported.

– Nobody came to help us. They (the king and queen) came to take a photo with us. And it hurts us – admitted a 50-year-old resident of Paiporta in an interview with Reuters.

Paiporta, with a population of 29,000, lost at least 70 inhabitants to heavy rains and floods.

In a statement to La Sexta television, the Spanish Minister of Transport Oscar Puente said of the royal couple's visit that “maybe it wasn't the right time” because “emotions were very tense.” At the same time, the minister condemned the actions of far-right groups who, in his opinion, “wanted to profit from the outrage of citizens.”

One of the security officials said that Sunday's visit was a “mistake”, while another “El Pais” interlocutor said that what happened was “predictable”, especially due to the presence of politicians – the Social Democrat, the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Carlos Mazon, head of the Valencian administration, representative of the center-right People's Party.

“El Pais” wrote that during his visit to Paiport, King Philippe tried to calm people, defended the government and warned against disinformation that is spreading on social media. “There are many people interested in sowing chaos,” he said.

Photos and recordings from Sunday's events show Philip VI and his wife, who decided to walk through the devastated streets of the city, listening to its inhabitants and hugging some of them.

– Paiporta is not a violent city, it is a city where people help each other. What happened was the accumulated anger of an entire society that felt cut off, without help, without water and without food, one city resident told Reuters. He added that this anger was focused on the royal couple.