Paiporta, Spain —Twenty months after the deadly depresión aislada en niveles altos (DANA) that killed 230 people in Valencia’s October 2024 floods, victims and civil society groups marched through the streets of Paiporta—the epicenter of the disaster—demanding the removal of parliamentary immunity for Carlos Mazón. The protest, the 20th monthly demonstration since the catastrophe, marked the first time the rally passed through Paiporta itself, where a significant portion of the fatalities occurred, according to local emergency records.
The march, organized by over 200 civic, labor, and victims’ associations—including the Asociación Víctimas Mortales 29-O and the Acord Social Valencià—began at 7 p.m. in Paiporta’s Plaza de la Iglesia de San Jorge, winding through flooded streets still scarred by the disaster before ending in Plaza Mayor. There, survivors read manifestos and performed “El río no tiene culpa”, a song by Alejandro y María Laura that has become an anthem for the movement.
Why victims say Mazón’s parliamentary immunity must end
Rosa Álvarez, president of Asociación Víctimas Mortales 29-O, told reporters before the march that the group’s demand for Mazón’s immunity to be lifted is “non-negotiable.” She cited a Levante-EMV analysis of emergency response timelines showing that if the regional government had implemented the same early warning protocols used during the 2019 DANA—when no deaths were recorded—“hundreds of lives could have been saved.”
“The climate crisis is real, but it was the incompetence of this government that turned a natural disaster into a massacre,” Álvarez said, wearing a T-shirt bearing her father’s image, who died in the floods. She added that the current Valencian president, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, has maintained “zero contact” with victims, despite his party’s parliamentary majority.
During a June 17 session of the Valencian parliament, where the PP and Vox parties approved a final report on the disaster, Álvarez said lawmakers from those parties “refused to look us in the eye” when victims were present. A Valencia Plaza livestream of the session showed PP and Vox deputies applauding the report while victims sat in silence, some holding signs reading: *“Llorca Mazón, la misma mierda son”* (Llorca and Mazón, the same filth).
What the protests are demanding—and how the government is responding
The march’s central demand is for Mazón to relinquish his parliamentary immunity, allowing him to face charges in Catarroja’s Juzgado de Instrucción, where a criminal investigation into the government’s flood response is ongoing. Victims’ groups argue that Mazón’s continued immunity—granted under Article 71 of the Valencian Statute—protects him from accountability for what they call “gross negligence.”
According to a June 2024 report by the Valencian Síndic de Greuges (Ombudsman), the regional government failed to activate flood barriers in time, delayed evacuation orders by up to six hours, and did not coordinate with municipal authorities until after the worst damage had occurred. The report, cited by El País, found that many of the 230 deaths occurred in areas where no emergency alerts were issued.
In contrast, the 2019 DANA—when similar rainfall hit Valencia—resulted in zero fatalities, thanks to a regional alert system that included real-time river monitoring and mandatory evacuations. “They had the tools, the data, and the time to act,” Álvarez said. “Instead, they chose to ignore the warnings.”
The Valencian government has not publicly commented on the protests, though Pérez Llorca’s office released a statement on June 20 reiterating that “all necessary measures were taken” during the crisis. The statement did not address the immunity issue or the victims’ calls for Mazón’s resignation.
How the movement is evolving—and what happens next
The protests have grown more confrontational in recent weeks, with signs at Sunday’s rally including: *“Asesino=Mazón. 230 razones para ir a la cárcel”* (Murderer=Mazón. 230 reasons to go to prison); *“Nuestros familiares han muerto por vuestra incompetencia. Asesinos”* (Our family died because of your incompetence. Murderers); and *“Ara totes alcem la veu per qui ja no pot alçar-la”* (Now we all raise our voices for those who can no longer).
Legal experts, including criminal lawyer Javier Gómez, who has advised victims’ families, told 20 Minutos that lifting Mazón’s immunity would require a parliamentary vote—something neither the ruling PSPV nor the opposition PP and Vox have signaled support for. “The political calculus is clear: no party wants to be seen as obstructing justice, but none are willing to risk their majority by pushing this through,” Gómez said.
The next critical date is July 1, when the Valencian parliament is scheduled to debate the Síndic de Greuges report’s recommendations. Victims’ groups have announced plans to escalate pressure, including a legal challenge to Mazón’s immunity and a potential boycott of regional elections if no action is taken by September.
The march in Paiporta concluded without incident, but the tension remains. As Álvarez told reporters: *“We will not stop until Mazón is in a courtroom, not a parliament.”*
