Vox does not give truce to Mayor María José Catalá in the Valencia City Council. Despite the first mayor’s directive not to convert – for the opposition’s advantage – the construction of water ponds under the river bridges into an initiative to combat the presence of the homeless, her partner in the government team did not agree. feels alluded to.
Yesterday, after learning of the brutal stone murder of a homeless man who was sleeping under the Real bridge (another homeless person is admitted to the hospital with a reserved prognosis), the Vox spokesperson in the City Council and Councilor for Parks and Gardens, Juanma Badenas, He insisted on the need to “double down” on the construction of ponds to “prevent illegal settlements under the bridges.” “We were talking about two ponds, one under the Custodian Angel Bridge and the other under the Kingdom Bridge, and now I think we will also have to think about the Real Bridge, which is where this tragedy unfortunately occurred.”
In this sense, Badenas emphasized that the crime was supposedly committed by an “irregular immigrant” and pointed to the need to increase security in València and in the gardens of the Túria River.
Faced with the mayor’s refusal to relate the construction of ponds to the phenomenon of homelessness, Badenas reiterated that it is not “dignified for people to live under a bridge.” At that point, the Vox councilor did not hesitate to charge against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, whom he accused of causing a “call effect” and of “bringing people from I don’t know what origin to the city who are allegedly causing crimes.” as serious” as what happened early Wednesday morning. Faced with this situation, Badenas insisted on the need, as public servants, to take measures.
All this while the mayor of València tried to “completely” dissociate any “good project, which could be a good one [in reference to the ponds], in the old channel of the Turia river from homelessness, which, Catalá recalled, also occurs in other areas.” points of the city.
The PP leader defended that addressing “homelessness” in the city is a “priority” and that the council is working from different areas to offer “comprehensive social services.” Along these lines, she understands that it is a problem that must be resolved “from different areas”, that needs “comprehensive attention” and that specific measures are not enough.
The PP and Vox City Council Government have made security one of their workhorses. In fact, the Council’s Budget for 2024 provides for 278.1 million euros for security, 25% of the total, with the intention of reaching a Local Police staff of 2,007 agents (100 more positions).
Catalá’s words did not convince the opposition, which harshly attacked the Vox councilor. The spokesperson for Compromís, Papi Robles, pointed out that Badenas’ statements demonstrate “nauseating racism”, and assured that “the person with the fewest papers in Valencia is himself, because he has completely lost them.” “If the new way to fight crime in Valencia is going to be to put swimming pools wherever there is a case, they will end up turning the city into Venice,” Robles said ironically.
For his part, the councilor of the socialist municipal group Borja Sanjuán indicated that if the mayor “has a minimum of ethics left, she should immediately dismiss” the deputy mayor. “Unfortunately, whenever a misfortune happens, the extreme right usually shows that it is not only opportunistic but also xenophobic and racist,” said Sanjuán.
