Esquerra’s spokespersons in Spain’s Congress and Senate point to the fact that “the disaster befallen on the Valencian Country is plagued by political decisions before, during and after the storm”

“It is shameful that at the first dedicated parliamentary debate after what happened in the Valencian Country, neither Spain’s Prime Minister nor the head of the opposition is here,” said Gabriel Rufián on Wednesday from the rostrum in Congress. During the appearance of the Spanish executive on the floods, the spokesman for Esquerra Republicana conveyed the party’s support and solidarity for those who have seen their lives completely disrupted and for those who have lost their loved ones.” In the same vein, Esquerra spokesperson Sara Bailac conveyed the same message in the Senate, where the Minister of Defence also appeared to speak on the same issue.

In their respective speeches in Congress and Senate, both spokespersons were critical of the management of the floods, and denounced the lies of the People’s Party (PP): “Their lies cost lives.” Mr Rufián pointedly recalled that the PP had already lied on “Iraq, the economic crisis, the preference-share swindle, the bank bailouts, the Prestige oil spill, the Yak-42 crash carrying Spanish troops, the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the Valencia metro crash, the Sovaldi hepatitis medication, the Alvia high-speed train crash in Galicia, and on the 7,291 elderly left to die in residences in Madrid during the pandemic. And they are lying now on the flood management.”

“The floods are a disaster, but for people to die without help because you spent the fire department’s money on bullfighting is something else. And while that was happening, regional president Mazón was in a private diner hacking out a TV deal. That’s called criminal negligence,” said Mr Rufián fiercely, after also denouncing that Mr Mazón had ignored the alerts that Spain’s Meteorological Agency AEMET had sent his government days before 29 October when the storm hit.

Esquerra’s spokespersons also pointed out that “the disaster the Valencian Country has suffered is plagued by political decisions before, during and after the storm.” Ms Bailac went on to say that “denying the climate emergency is policy, eliminating the Valencian Emergency Unit because PP and Vox considered it an unnecessary expense is policy. Just as it is policy to build on a river bed or modify its course.” And in the same vein, Mr Rufián said “That there are businesses that force you to work when there is a red alert, because supermarket Mercadona trumps AEMET, that’s politics. Or that Catalan conservatives, Junts, and the Spanish government eliminate taxes on those who pollute most, which is how it is, that’s also politics.”

Mr Rufián finally warned that “it’s not gratuitous that all the fashy YouTubers have descended on the Valencian Country these days as if it were a music festival.” For Esquerra’s congressman, “the right and the ultra-right are clear that there is an even greater power than executive power, the legislature or the judiciary: digital power.” Both Mr Rufián and Ms Bailac have asked for “forcefulness” from the Sánchez government in the face of intentional hoaxes: “It shouldn't be possible to get away with saying that the government is hiding 900 corpses in a garage. Fines for those who lie, maybe that’s how they will think twice.”