The tensest moments of Mazón's appearance in Congress

MadridThree hours of questioning of Carlos Mazón in Congress They have not served to provide certainty about the black holes in their agenda for the day of the DANA storm.Nor has it been an exercise in self-criticism for the acting Valencian president, who has shrugged off responsibility, despite pressure from left-wing deputies who mentioned the victims, who demonstrated outside the lower house, as well as questions and reproaches about his handling of the situation. We review some of the most tense moments.

Several deputies call him a "psychopath" and a "murderer"

"You are a useless, lying, incompetent, wretched, murderous psychopath. I hope you pay for everything you've done with prison time." This is how Gabriel Rufián, ERC spokesperson in Congress, ended his speech, one of the most scathing. The leader of Podemos, Ione Belarra, made a similar accusation. "You are responsible for the deaths of 229 people," she accused him, also calling him a "bad person." The United Left deputy Nahuel González also raised his voice, accusing Mazón of being either "useless" or a "psychopath."

What was he carrying in his backpack?

Mazón's backpack has been one of the collateral protagonists of the interrogation. He has used it to justify not having answered calls around seven o'clock in the evening of the fateful October 29th of last year"He must have been walking down the street with his mobile phone in his backpack," he said.

He also denied changing his clothes at El Ventorro, claiming he simply had a sweater in his backpack in case he got cold. "Did he put his sweater and phone in his backpack?" Compromís deputy Alberto Ibáñez asked ironically, given Mazón's evasive answers about what he was doing during the hour and a half between leaving the restaurant and arriving at the Cecopio. Mazón argued that during that time "nobody knew people were drowning."

Mazón defends himself with accusations of "sexism"

"What sexism!" exclaimed Mazón during questioning by PSOE deputy Alejandro Soler. The acting president of the Valencian Community denounced the "sexist lies" that had been spread regarding his lunch with journalist Maribel Vilaplana when asked about the details of the meeting. "You had high expectations for the lunch; you had given the afternoon off, you had also given it to your top aides, and you had brought a change of clothes in case you needed it," Soler added, which provoked Mazón's indignation.

The relationship with the victims

Several members of parliament displayed photographs of some of the 229 victims. One of them was Rufián, who cited specific cases. "Where were you?" the Republican repeatedly asked, mentioning the times of their deaths. Mazón complained, "Do you know what I've never done? I've never used the name of any victim." Rufián replied that it was the families who asked him to mention them and criticized the Popular Party member for not having met with them. Mazón confronted the Republican, saying it was false that he hadn't met with any victims.

Outrage against the PP and Vox

The interventions of the PP and Vox parties in the committee have been a balm for Mazón, as they have focused on pointing the finger at the Spanish government. Other deputies, such as Ibáñez of Compromís, also raised their voices at the end of the committee meeting to criticize the PP deputies for applauding the Valencian president's intervention when they had not done so when it was the victims' turn to testify. Relatives of the 229 deceased demonstrated against Mazón this Monday outside the Congress building.

The "lies" about ES-Alert

The issuance of the ES-Alert alert was a key issue during the hearing and one of the most contentious points. Mazón denied that it was under his jurisdiction, arguing that there was no protocol for these alerts. Rufián countered by displaying a document to refute his claim.

A mention of Salvador Illa has prompted another denial. In a prepared response, Mazón defended his having maintained his schedule on the day of the DANA storm, asserting that the Catalan president did the same a month ago with the DANA storm that affected Tarragona. He displayed a front page of theABC from October 13 of that year to bolster the narrative. Government sources have countered that on that day Isla "suspended his entire institutional agenda" and the day before "was constantly monitoring the rains in the Ebro."