A new demonstration, led by the main associations of dana victims and under the slogan 'Mazón to prison', has once again marched this Saturday through the center of València. Its objective is to demand that the 'expresident' of the Generalitat "does not go unpunished" and make it clear that they will continue mobilizing until they achieve "truth, justice and reparation", in addition to demanding that the special legal protection "not be applied to him" because "he is not doing anything and is only protecting himself".
It is the first protest held after the resolution of the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV), which unanimously decided not to investigate Mazón for his actions during the DANA of October 29, 2024. The high court concluded that it did not find a crime, considering that he did not have a specific "duty and obligation" to ensure the safety of citizens according to current regulations, nor has his participation in Es Alert been proven, although it described his behavior as "reprehensible" on a social and political level.
After that pronouncement, the holder of Seat number 3 of the Civil and Instruction Section of the Court of First Instance of Catarroja, which is investigating the case on the management of the DANA, agreed to summon Carlos Mazón to testify as a witness. Likewise, she offered him the option to voluntarily provide the list of incoming and outgoing calls from the day of the storm, as well as WhatsApp messages or other messaging services related to the emergency, or failing that, the invoices associated with those communications.
Given this scenario, the associations of affected people face the process with an attitude of "hope" because "we do not understand it as a resignation, but as one more step to continue in our fight for truth, justice, and reparation".
This was stated to the media, minutes before the march began from the València City Hall Square, by the president of the Associació Víctimes de la Dana 29 d'Octubre 2024, Mariló Gradolí. She believes that the former head of the Consell must be held accountable for the loss of at least 230 people and has criticized the "shameful" order of the TSJCV with which the case was returned to the Catarroja court.
"If the High Court of Justice --of the Valencian Community-- issues such a shameful order in which it says that Carlos Mazón was not a guarantor, that he had no responsibility the day the greatest disaster of the Valencian Community happened (...) If the 'president' of the Generalitat is not responsible, who is?", Gradolí has asked.
In his/her understanding, the judge's decision to extend the investigation six more months "is one more step." "We are going to continue and we will continue as far as we have to go, because if there's one thing we have, it's patience and, above all, the reason to continue on the path of truth, justice, and reparation," he/she added.
In the same vein, the president of the DANA Fatal Victims Association, Rosa Álvarez, has spoken, reiterating that the victims are asking "above all, right now, that he --Mazón-- not be kept with parliamentary immunity." She has also directed her criticism at the TSJCV: "The High Court of Justice is made up of five people who at one point passed an opposition exam and who are now there, I don't know if with much or little desire to work, I don't know if with more or less affinity for Carlos Mazón, although there are some photos with a certain camaraderie."
Regarding the TSJCV ruling, Álvarez has indicated that the victims are experiencing the situation with "perplexity" and has stressed that "the judge does not act alone, as she has behind her an entire Provincial Court that endorses her steps." In this context, he has assured that they will continue working "day and night" because "they are not going to return our family members to us." "But if we don't work for it, it would be like killing them twice and the legacy that in my case my father has left me, they are not going to kill it, which is struggle, struggle and struggle," he has remarked.
The march runs through several streets in the center of the Valencian capital up to Plaça de la Mare de Déu. Among the slogans shouted by attendees, one hears 'They are not dead, they are murdered' and, in addition to images of some of the deceased victims, they carry banners with slogans such as 'Less lies, more justice', 'Llorca=Mazón2', 'Neither left nor right, we want a government that protects us' or 'Mazón to prison, Consell resignation'.