Following the natural disaster which struck Spain on Tuesday October 29, 2024, and which caused more than 200 deaths and dozens of missing people, there was not only a deluge of water, but also a torrent ambiguous, false, exaggerated information and false alarms on social networks, adding chaos to chaos.
From our correspondent in Madrid,
From Wednesday October 30 in the morning, when everyone could see the disaster, the dozens of dead and missing, the destroyed buildings, the cars swept away in the waves like logs of wood, the controversies on social networks were swelling.
The first to point out the terrible danger of information on these social networks was José Miguel Basset, the provincial fire chief. “ The large amount of fake news, he saidcauses public order problems and interrupts the work of emergency devices. » A plethora of false information circulated, for example, that an entire commune was going to be evacuated, or that in towns like Sedavi or Alfafar, there were avenues of water causing new victims, or even that the number of emergency, 112, had stopped working.
Also readNo, a mysterious boat did not cause the floods in Spain
Dams upstream of Valencia have reportedly failed, fake news dangerous
The far right, in particular, and countless Internet users who are easily seduced by conspiracy theories, have spread extremely dangerous false information: dams upstream of Valencia have reportedly failed.
It all started with a false alert by WhatsApp, then relayed by several social networks, according to which several dams, such as those of Manises and Benagéber, had failed and that another tsunami of water was going to pour into Valence and its surroundings.
But it didn’t stop there, as several members of Vox, the Spanish far-right party, fueled the completely crazy idea that the floods and high waters were due to the fact that the Spanish government had knowingly opened the doors to ‘a big dam. The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, accused the socialists in power of having finished with water retention in the country, the origin of the tragedy.
However, in an incredible show of solidarity, thousands of volunteers helped the local population clear the streets and garages. But in some cases, volunteers were stopped because they blocked access for rescue teams.
Also read Floods in Spain: solidarity is organized to supply and clean up
Anger among the victims
The victims of the disaster showed their anger in Paiporta, the epicenter of the disaster, against King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The crowd insulted them with cries of “ assassins » and threw mud at them. The royal couple escaped unscathed, but they preferred to interrupt their program of visits to other disaster areas, out of caution.
To listen François Gemmene: “The population must identify who is responsible for the disaster”