Furious locals pelt Spain’s king with mud during visit to flood zone

King Felipe VI of Spain was pelted with mud and other objects during a visit to the flood-stricken Valencian town of Paiporta on Sunday.

The area is among the hardest hit by the devastating floods that have claimed the lives of at least 211 people, with 1,900 other still missing. Residents accuse authorities of failing to warn them about rising floodwaters and complain that recovery teams have been largely absent in the aftermath of the disaster.

While tens of thousands of civilian volunteers have travelled to Valencia to assist in the clean-up, recovery professionals have yet to arrive in some of the affected villages, where locals continue to live among mountains of mud, ruins and untold numbers of cadavers.

Paiporta’s residents reacted with fury when the king and a police escort composed of dozens of officers appeared in the town on Sunday, throwing mud, bottles and other objects at the retinue.

“It’s been four days, where have you been?” indignant locals asked at a mud-splattered Felipe VI in images shared on social media. “You’ve just come here to pose for pictures. You have no shame!”

“You lack for nothing while we here don’t even have water to drink,” angry residents shouted at a visibly distressed Queen Letizia, who had mud flung in her face. “People are dying here!”

The Spanish monarchs attempted to remain in the area and reason with locals, but they were eventually obliged to leave. As they got back into their vehicles, a police officer’s shout of “long live the king” was countered by a resident’s cry of “Guillotine!”

Although the royal household initially said that the monarchs’ visit to the devastated area would continue, it later announced that a scheduled visit to the town of Chiva was cancelled “by joint agreement of the state, regional and royal household authorities.”

The local attack on Spain’s monarchs reflects growing discontent with how Spanish authorities are handling the disaster and its aftermath. National government officials complain that regional authorities, who have jurisdiction over emergency management, have been slow to accept Madrid’s offer to send in more recovery forces. On Saturday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced 5,000 soldiers and 5,000 police officers would be sent to the area as part of Spain’s largest-ever deployment of troops in peacetime.

Sánchez himself was also targeted by furious locals on Sunday. Spanish media reported that the prime minister was due to accompany the king during his visit to Paiporta, but was forced to turn back after his vehicle was pelted with rocks. Regional President Carlos Mazón faced angry crowds that accused him of inaction in the lead-up to the floods and referred to him as a “murderer.”

In a message on X, Mazón said he understood the “social indignation” and said that it was his “political and moral obligation” to receive it.