King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain were pelted with mud, bottles, and other objects, and the scene was captured in “wild” photos posted by Getty Images.
According to NBC, the “anger and frustration erupted in Spain” on Sunday, November 3, as King Felipe VI surveyed flash flood damage in the town of Paiporta. More than 200 people died in the floods last week, NBC News reported.
NBC News described what happened next as a “chaotic scene” in which “mud, objects, and insults were flung at the king,” with the crowd shouting, “Murderers, murderers!” and “Get out!”
Getty GettyQueen Letizia of Spain (L) talks with a person as angry residents heckled her.
Photos posted by Getty showed the queen with mud on her face and the king surrounded by security. One social media user called it a “shocking display.”
Both Queen Letizia & King Felipe Had Specks of Mud on Them After the Incident, Reports Say
Getty GettyKing Felipe VI of Spain (CR) is heckled by angry residents who throw mud and objects during his visit to Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, on November 3, 2024.
The Associated Press reported that the crowd consisted of “angry flood survivors.”
AP cited a Spanish broadcaster RTVE, reporting that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez “was evacuated from the scene.” According to the AP, the king had “flecks of mud on his face,” but “remained calm and made several efforts to speak to individual residents.”
AP reported that the queen “had small glops of mud on her hands and arms” while speaking to people in the crowd.
Getty GettyQueen Letizia of Spain (C), with mud stains on her face.
“We don´t have any water,” a woman told the queen, according to the AP.
Carlos Mazó, the president of Valencia’s parliament, praised the King on X. “I understand the social indignation and of course I will stay to receive it. It is my political and moral obligation. The King’s attitude this morning has been exemplary,” he wrote.
But there was also anger online. “Resign now, the only place where citizens want to see you again is in the courts,” a person responded in Spanish to Mazo.
More Than 60 People Died in the Town Visited by the King & Queen
Getty GettyKing Felipe VI of Spain (L) talks with a person as angry residents heckle him.
According to Sky News, the king “remained calm” as he was confronted by the angry crowd.
The town where the incident occurred was hit hard by the flash floods, Sky News reported, adding that more than 60 people died there and “thousands of lives were shattered.”
Mounted police on horses helped keep the crowd back, according to Sky News, and bodyguards protected the royals from some of the mud and objects with umbrellas.
BBC reported that the anger derives from “a perceived lack of warning and insufficient support from authorities” after the flash flood catastrophe.
According to BBC, the flash floods collapsed bridges and “covered towns with thick mud.”
Towns lack “access to water, food, electricity and other basic services,” BBC reported.
Only the BBC would use the word perceived. Damn they’re such fake news! What are you kidding me? Every living resident in Valencia said that no alarm warnings were given. Pedro Sánchez has refused humanitarian aid from Argentina, El Salvador and France. Only 500 military service members have been called into to assist now after 3 days of horror. The government party of PSOE led by Pedro Sánchez has also prevented volunteers from helping so as not to appear that the location is such a disaster. With over 214 dead individuals, cars & furniture piled up on the streets from the flash floods, homes destroyed, no food, no water, no communication services available, no wonder Pedro Sánchez received the welcome he so earnestly deserved. To add to the misery, gangs of illegal migrants are looting and destroying businesses and properties and no police, civil guards, or military members are doing anything to stop it. It’s unfortunate that the King & Queen were caught up in this as there is really nothing they can do as they don’t run the government. However Pedro Sánchez, is the head if the government, and is responsible that people get the help immediately and non-stop.