A crowd of angry survivors of the devasting floods in Spain’s eastern region of Valencia tossed mud and shouted insults at King Felipe VI on Sunday.
“Get out! Get out!” and “Killers” the crowd shouted among other insults as the monarch, accompanied by Queen Letizia and other government officials, tried to talk to locals in Paiporta, an outskirt of Valencia city that has been devastated.
Bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect the royals and officials as the crowd of several dozen launched mud their way.
Police had to step in with some officers on horseback to keep back the crowd. After being forced to seek protection, the king remained calm and made several efforts to speak to individual residents. One person appeared to have wept on his shoulder. He shook the hand of a man.
The queen was seen speaking to women with small glops of mud on her hands and arms.
“We have lost everything!” someone shouted to the royals.
Spain’s worst floods in decades have left whole neighborhoods covered in mud and strewn with mangled cars and debris. More than 200 people have died since Tuesday’s floods and many more are missing. At least 60 of the dead were in Paiporta, an epicenter of suffering.
The indignation of the management of Spain’s worst natural disaster in living memory started after the initial shock wore off. More anger has been fueled by the inability of officials to respond quickly to the aftermath.
Most of the cleanup of the layers and layers of mud and debris that have invaded countless homes has been done by residents and thousands of volunteers.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was scheduled to accompany the king on the visit. But it is not clear if Sánchez was there at the moment the contingent was pelted with mud.
Felipe insisted on trying to dialogue with people as he tried to continue his visit. He spoke to several people, patting two young men on their backs and sharing a quick embrace, with mud stains on his black raincoat.
According to a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE near Felipe, one woman wept and told him she didn’t have food and diapers while another person said “Don’t abandon us.”
But after approximately half an hour of tension, the monarchs got in official cars and left with a mounted police escort.
On Saturday, Sánchez ordered 10,000 more troops, police officers and civil guards to the area.
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