The PP does not stop Vox's offensive against the group of victims of the dana

The victims of the Dana have unwittingly entered the Valencian political debate. This happened because of Vox, whose Catalan ombudsman, José María Llanos, went so far as to say last Tuesday that the associations representing the 228 deceased are entities formed by "truly interested parties" and are "controlled" by political parties. His accusation was broader: "Normally, associations created the day after a tragedy like this tend to be self-interested. That is, people manipulated by political parties who want to bring the street movement into political activity," he told reporters.

These words immediately sparked outrage among the three associations of relatives of the victims and the left, but both the Valencian Government and the People's Party (PP) have kept a low profile. That is, they have neither condemned these words nor distanced themselves from the position of the Valencian far right. Carlos Mazón himself did not do so, and when asked about this issue, he stated that "any politicization is bad, no matter what it may be." "Everyone is responsible for their statements; I am responsible for mine," he added. His spokesperson, Susana Camarero, attempted to soften the controversy by stating that "victims have no political affiliation; victims are victims, and therefore deserve all our respect, all our attention, and all our concern."

The victims will be received next week by Von der Leyen, Ribera and Metsola in Brussels.

Rosa Álvarez, president of one of the three associations, called Llanos's remarks "indecent" and asked, "If we're not affected, who is?" These groups have announced they will file a complaint against Vox for "insults and slander." Both the PSPV and Compromís have demanded a sentence from the Valencian president, but so far, no such sentence has been issued.

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The position of the Valencian Government, which has not yet received the victims' associations, contrasts with the fact that next week they will be received by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen; by Vice President Teresa Ribera; and by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. They will also hold meetings with several parliamentary groups, committees, and parliamentarians from different countries. The associations were the ones who called the seven demonstrations to demand the resignation of the Valencian president, and it is the victims' families who are recounting the ordeal they endured that day before the investigating judge. Vox has also attempted to prevent the victims from appearing before the DANA commission of inquiry in the Valencian Parliament. The People's Party (PP), finally, has expressed its willingness to allow them to appear in person, as they had requested with the support of the left.

Mazón denies that they waited for him to send the ES-Alert on the day of the raid: "Under no circumstances"

On the other hand, Carlos Mazón denied yesterday that the former Minister of Justice and the Interior, Salomé Pradas, had waited for his approval to send the Es Alert on October 29th, the day of the Dana. "No. Under no circumstances," he stated. He said this when asked about the testimony of an Emergency Service technician who participated in the issuance of the alert and who stated before the Dana judge that Pradas requested that nothing be sent without his approval.

Also yesterday, UPV civil engineer Francisco Vallés defended the role of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) before the judge: “Its predictions should have been taken into account. Aemet, which played a key role in warning us days in advance, must be taken seriously.” After his statement, he told reporters that “the red warning was the first of 2024; the prediction had to be heeded.”