In a show of collective outrage, thousands flooded the streets of Valencia, Spain, on Saturday night, protesting the government's catastrophic response to one of the deadliest floods in Europe in decades. The gathering turned tense as clashes erupted between demonstrators and riot police outside the regional government headquarters, with officers employing batons to disperse the crowd.

Amidst the chaos, frustration boiled over at the delayed emergency alerts that endangered lives, with many calling for the resignation of Carlos Mazon, the regional leader from the conservative Popular Party. His administration has been heavily criticized for failing to warn residents until floodwaters had already entered their homes.

While Mazon maintains that the government's response was appropriate given the unforeseen nature of the disaster, the reality tells a different story. Spain’s national meteorological agency had issued a red alert at 7:30 AM on Tuesday, yet Mazon’s administration delayed notifications to the public until many hours later, igniting fury among the affected citizens.

As of Saturday, the tragic toll from the floods escalated to at least 220 confirmed deaths, with nearly 80 individuals still unaccounted for. The disaster hit hardest in southern Valencia, where local volunteers often took the initiative to assist those in need while a coordinated government response took days to fully mobilize the necessary resources, including police and military personnel.

The anguish of the people was palpable, with protest slogans starkly reading “You killed us!” and demonstrators leaving muddy boots at city hall as a visceral symbol of their despair. Anna Oliver, president of Accio Cultural del Pais Valenciano—one of the groups behind the protest—voiced the collective indignation, emphasizing the need for accountability and better disaster management strategies.

Earlier in the week, protests had also erupted during a visit from King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, where demonstrators expressed their frustration by hurling mud and chanting "murderers" in response to the leaders’ presence in the struggling suburb.

Experts suggest that the floods may have been exacerbated by climate change, with increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather events posing new challenges for governments worldwide. As Spain faces the aftermath of this disaster, questions linger over preparedness and infrastructure resilience in the face of future natural catastrophes.

As the protests continue, the citizens of Valencia are resolute in their demand for justice and comprehensive reforms aimed at preventing such a tragedy from repeating.