By Vera Rodriguez,
On October 29th, 2024, Spain experienced one of its most significant nature-induced tragedies. Valencia, located east of the Iberian Peninsula, was greatly affected by the meteorological phenomenon known as “DANA” (a Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression). Intense rain and massive floods caused at least 219 casualties at the time of writing, and the rescue services are still looking for missing people. Almost a month later, news reports and talk shows in the country continue to cover the region and frequently stream interviews with survivors. In the streets, posters provide contact information to donate to help Valencia and showcase their support for its citizens. Besides media attention, thousands of volunteers from all over Spain have visited the region to help clean the streets. Regardless of national solidarity’s consistency, the political situation stays highly polarized.
Such an event also continues to gather much social media interaction. In the early moments of DANA, these were the first channels to communicate what was happening. WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter remain platforms citizens use to comment on the latest news about the region. There, fake news and misinformation spread rapidly, underscoring the urgent need to address the role of social media in disseminating inaccurate information. For instance, a viral audio message swiftly circulated through these channels at the beginning of a tragedy. In this transmission, a man is crying, claiming to be witnessing a massive flood at a parking lot. He says that the situation there seems like a graveyard, with more than 800 reported fatal victims. Authorities received the information and rushed to the scene, finding no bodies. Afterward, conspiracy theories spread on social media, alleging the government had attempted to cover up what had occurred.
This is not the only false narrative that spreads through these networks. Other stories promptly speculated about the flood’s source. One of them blamed the Government for an order to destroy four reservoirs that Franco had built (Spain’s former dictator). Another famous hoax suggested that AEMET’s rain detection software (the official weather control agency, dependent on the government) did not work correctly. Numerous other scams emerged, including conspiracy theories, such as the event being a manufactured “attack”. A closer look at these assertions reveals how Spain’s political polarization fuels the spread of fake news, stressing the urgent need for a more cohesive political dialogue.
In many hoaxes, the government is the main character, often indirectly through government-dependent organizations such as the AEMET. Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party’s Pedro Sánchez (PSOE, center-left) was re-elected last year. The unexpected results and the amnesty that facilitated his cabinet’s formation deepened existing discontent, mainly under the right (People’s Party) and far-right (Vox) voters. Correspondingly, these parties began increasing hostility towards the newly formed cabinet, often with fake accusations or insults. Today, voters, political groups, and media outlets affiliated with them remain highly critical of the cabinet and exceedingly permissive to the opposition. Overall, these events have achieved a polarization of both right- and left-wing supporters and media outlets, often producing perfect single culprits in their narratives.
Fake stories about Valencia focus on the Government, which is effective for two reasons. First, they resonate with many discontented opposition voters, eager to believe in the government’s alleged misconduct. Second, these tales act as a counter-narrative against the central figure accused of negligence, Carlos Mazón, the president of the Valencian Community. He failed to issue timely warnings to citizens despite having been informed by the meteorological agency (AEMET) about the severity of the situation well in advance. Instead, the warning was issued only two hours after the floods started. Reportedly, he was late for a meeting about the weather report and allegedly expressed to others that he did not send out the alarm because he did not want to frighten the citizens.
Instead of admitting his mistakes, he and the People’s Party have tried to shift the blame to the national government due to an alleged late deployment of army troops. This way, the event has turned into a considerable political fight. Media outlets remain particularly in line with their respective political preferences, and the People’s Party has still to request accountability from Mazon.
Valencia’s flooding has highlighted the solidarity of Spanish citizens and a longstanding issue the country has faced in recent years. The media, individual opinions, and politicians are increasingly polarized. This problem will not be resolved, unless relevant political actors agree to a compromise. Nevertheless, that situation is improbable, especially considering the role social media plays in it, and the political profit mainstream parties achieve with it.
References
- Actualización de datos del Gobierno de España. La Moncloa. Available here
- Del camion frigorifico al audio de un supuesto sargento de la UME: los bulos sobre el parking de Bonaire. Newtral. Available here
- Miles de voluntarios de toda España vuelven a las zonas más afectadas hoy sábado. Levante. Available here
- Desinformación de la DANA: de falsas alertas a vídeos descontextualizados. Verificartve. Available here
- Spanish regional leader defends his handling of Valencia floods. Reuters. Available here
- Deleted tweets, missed warnings and calls for the ‘hangman’: the bitter political fallout from Spain’s floods. Available here
