Tens of thousands of people gathered in Valencia on Saturday to protest the regional government's handling of the devastating floods that claimed more than 220 lives in one of Europe’s worst natural disasters in decades. Protesters filled the city center, demanding the resignation of regional government leader Carlos Mazon, while chanting "Killers!" and holding up banners such as "Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood." Some demonstrators dumped muddy boots outside government buildings, while others smeared the buildings with mud.
 
The anger stems from accusations that Mazon issued a flood alert too late. The warning was issued at 8 p.m. on October 29, by which time water had already inundated many towns and villages. Mazon defended the delayed alert, saying it was based on information from the official water monitoring body, which did not highlight the severity of the situation. He has not responded to requests for comment. 
 
The protest was organized by around 30 groups, including Accio Cultural del Pais Valenciano, with President Anna Oliver expressing outrage over what they see as poor disaster management. While the protest remained largely peaceful, there were clashes with police, who charged at stone-throwing demonstrators, and minor damage was caused to the city council building by objects thrown at it.
 
Despite the regional government's delay in issuing the alert, some local bodies, including Valencia University, took precautions earlier, advising people to stay home and suspending activities. The national weather service had raised the threat level for heavy rains to red alert earlier in the day on October 29. The floods have left nearly 80 people missing, making it the deadliest deluge in Europe since the 1967 floods in Portugal, which killed around 500 people.