“Mazón resign!” General strike, blockades, and mobilizations in Valencia
On May 29, a general strike took place in the city of Valencia, with the main demand being the resignation of the current President of the regional parliament, Carlos Mazón, one of the responsible for the criminal management of the floods that resulted in 229 assassinations last October. Over the past few months, protests and events demanding Mazón’s resignation have been constant, making it one of the hot spots in the current class struggle in the country.
The newspaper Servir al Pueblo has been one of the few that has dared to cover the event, as major media outlets have barely mentioned the strike in the city of Valencia, one of the most important in the country. This report highlights some of the actions included in its coverage.
Since midnight, marking the start of the strike, groups of workers carried out sabotage activities throughout the city and in areas affected by the floods. Some businesses were unable to open. Pickets were also organized at one of the largest logistics centers and at the urban transport depots.
The strike continued with roadblocks, resulting in 23 arrests, who were released a few hours later. During the blockades, traffic was halted for several hours.
In the city, there were blockades in the neighborhoods, and a supermarket was temporarily occupied, forcing its workers to go to work despite the dire conditions on the day of the floods.
At 12:00, the first strike began in the city center.
Preparations for the afternoon demonstration also began, which marched from some of the affected towns to the city of Valencia itself. The police attempted to prevent the demonstration, claiming it disrupted traffic, and at one point threatened to charge despite the presence of children. However, this did not stop people from protesting with slogans such as “Mazón resign!” and “Mazón should resign and not take the payment.”
There were also mobilizations in Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Castellón, Lleida, Zaragoza, and El Vendrell.
At the end of their report, Servir al Pueblo writes about the success of the strike for revolutionaries and social movements due to its impact on politicizing and spreading the political line. It was also noted as the first demonstration where the local masses rose “on their own,” as explained in the newspaper: “We support strikes and struggle in them because it helps us to politicize, organize, and mobilize the masses. It allows us to connect more deeply with the poor masses, those most affected by imperialism, who are the most revolutionary. Our reivindicative struggle is aimed at power. And with our report, we have clearly demonstrated that this strike served to politicize, organize, and mobilize the masses.”
The source of all the pictures is the newspaper Servir al Pueblo.
