Misinformation about Spain: anger was directed to the politicians and the King calmed the crowd
Some newspapers echoes Spanish television’s version, focusing on Felipe VI and omitting Sánchez’s evacuation
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia in Paiporta. | Europa Press
This past Sunday’s events in Paiporta, Valencia, during the official visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, accompanied by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the head of Valencian regional government, Carlos Mazón, have not gone unnoticed by the international press. However, media outlets in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, among others, have largely chosen to highlight local protests, suggesting that residents’ discontent stemmed from the Royals’ presence. This focus has minimized coverage of the monarchs’ expressions of solidarity or even the incident involving an attack on the Prime Minister, which ultimately led to his evacuation.
The international media’s distortion of events in Valencia’s Huerta Sur stemmed from a video broadcast by RTVE news program. The Spanish public television focused on the shouting and mud hurled at officials while overlooking footage of the King, Queen, and president Mazón approaching local residents to calm tensions and offer their condolences and solidarity to those present.
The New York Times reported that «on Sunday morning, the King walked among a crowd in Paiporta, a town in Valencia where over 60 people have died, and angry protesters threw mud and shouted ‘murderers’». The newspaper emphasized how the scale of the recent storm «has become a political flashpoint», and added that the incident «raised concerns over the impacts of climate change», a detail not noted by Spanish media.
In Europe, the British broadcaster BBC followed RTVE’s lead, focusing on the chants of «murderers» and «shame» shouted at the officials which, according to the british outlet, were particularly directed at the Royal Family. Notably, the BBC’s headline omitted mention of Pedro Sánchez’s evacuation or the decision by King Felipe and Queen Letizia to remain in the area to console affected families. Instead, the story was titled: «Spanish King and Queen pelted with mud in Valencia after floods».
The British newspaper The Telegraph took a similar approach. The journal also emphasized the chants of «murderers» and the mud-throwing in Paiporta, including in the subheading the widely shared image of Queen Letizia with mud on her nose: «Queen Letizia was hit with mud on her nose and sprayed with a water hose».
«Spain’s King and Prime Minister visit a flood-stricken town and are met with mud and insults», headlined the British newspaper The Guardian. The report added that the King was «booed in Paiporta» and noted that the public anger stemmed from a «sense of abandonment in the areas affected» by the weather storm that hit the Valencian region starting last Tuesday.
Le Monde in France also reported on the events in the Valencian town, pointing directly to King Felipe VI as the main target of public discontent, with booing and mud-throwing once again featured prominently in the headline. The French newspaper noted that «residents blame authorities for warning them late about the approaching storm’s weather conditions», again omitting any mention of Sánchez’s evacuation or the Royals’ efforts to console the affected families.
These are examples of what some of the world’s major media outlets published regarding the incident this Sunday in Paiporta, which chose to focus attention on the noise and local protests in response to the arrival of the King, Queen, and the politicians.
