Walter Finch
A YOUNG Valenciano who berated the King of Spain amid chaotic scenes in the ground zero town of last week’s deadly floods has denied that his actions were ‘orchestrated’.
Luis Baguena was captured on camera speaking heatedly with Felipe VI among a crowd in Paiporta on DAY as events threatened to spiral out of control.
The King, along with Pedro Sanchez and Valencia President Carlos Mazon, were quickly evacuated after dramatic footage captured the moment a brick hit the umbrella covering them.
The rage and violence prompted allegations that troublemakers had deliberately turned up to target the King after his visit had been preannounced.
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“First of all, the situation this morning has been VERY tense,” wrote Baguena in Twitter/X accompanied by a video of his exchange with Felipe VI.
“But he amount of lies I’ve read saying that I’m not from Valencia, that people went to ruin the event or that the conversation was orchestrated, is at the very least surprising.”
The young man claimed that ‘the King approached us directly because we were right there.’
“I personally gave out to him over why a state of emergency had not been declared given the current situation,” he said.
“I know that it is not his responsibility, but I think it’s a question he should be able to answer.”
Baguena denied being part of the violence and claimed to have even taken a rock to the eye as the leaders were pelted.
“Hi. I’m the guy in blue from the video where I appear talking to King Felipe VI,” he wrote. “I’m a Valencian through and through.”
“The lies—that I’m not from Valencia, that we went to disrupt the event, or that the conversation was staged—are absurd.”
But he claimed his anger was driven by a day of frustration in which they had not been able to clear debris due to a lack of heavy equipment.
Baguena wrote that he and a group of friends had set out early that morning to help clear floodwaters and debris in Paiporta, just outside Valencia.
Armed only with brooms and shovels, they spent hours clearing lower floors and attempting to make more streets accessible.
But as the day wore on, frustration set in; without proper equipment, their efforts felt futile amidst the scale of the destruction.
At around midday, exhausted and drenched, Luis and his group began to head back to their cars.
It was then they heard shouts nearby.
Curious, they approached and soon realised that the commotion was over an impromptu visit by officials, including Sanchez, who was quickly escorted away.
However, King Felipe VI remained, engaging with a few citizens on the ground—including Luis.
His frustration extended beyond just the government’s response. He described his six-hour drive from Madrid to Valencia, spurred by a need to help his community.
He spent the weekend distributing supplies in La Torre and helping friends clear a flooded business in Benetússer. “I needed to be here helping my neighbours,” he explained.
He then criticised Spain’s political class for their perceived disunity, even in the face of tragedy.
“We are divided even when disasters strike our own city. Politicians play this like it’s a football match,” he said, adding that leaders ‘will never measure up to the people of this country.’
