King of Spain honours victims of 'Dana' floods in traditional Christmas message

It could not have been otherwise. King Felipe VI of Spain began and closed his traditional Christmas Eve speech - his eleventh since taking office as Head of State - with a reminder of the more than 200 deaths and nearly 800,000 people affected by the storm that struck the Valencia region on 29 October. In view of the magnitude of the catastrophe, he called on us never to forget those who died, who have left so much pain and sadness in their families. Nor to the thousands of people who saw their villages, homes, workplaces or schools reduced to rubble or disappear.

Even with all the grief caused, the King highlighted a positive aspect that should make people proud. This was the example set by those who opened their homes to shelter the most vulnerable, or by the neighbours, volunteers, Civil Protection teams, firefighters, members of the Armed Forces, NGOs and companies who collaborated, shovels and brushes in hand, to alleviate the devastating effects of the floods. This is, the King summed up, "solidarity in its purest form", a formula that can be extrapolated to many other aspects of public and private life, he added.

"Over and above any possible differences and disagreements, there is a clear idea in Spanish society of what is best, of what benefits everyone and that, for this reason, we have the interest and responsibility to protect and reinforce it," said Felipe VI, before pointing out that both he and Queen Letizia have been able to confirm and value the rule of law throughout this decade of reign.

For yet another year, the Head of State highlighted the spirit of the Constitution. He did so without failing to recognise the progress made by updates to the text, such as the one approved this year in article 49 referring to people with disabilities, which, in an almost unheard of event during this legislature, was supported by all the political forces represented in Congress except Vox. It was at this point that the King stopped to ask that the same solidarity shown with those affected by the Dana be applied in Parliament to defend "the common will". It is necessary," he stressed, "that the legitimate, but sometimes thunderous, political dispute does not prevent us from listening to an even more resounding demand: a demand for serenity". Moreover, he added, "discord must not be allowed to become a constant background noise that prevents us from listening to the real pulse of the people". His words represent, always within the very limited powers granted to the King by the Magna Carta, a real slap on the wrist from Felipe VI to the main political leaders.

The King gave specific examples in which dialogue and consensus between the parliamentary forces should serve to remedy problems that are pressing for Spanish society and whose solution cannot be delayed because of partisan debates. Firstly, he referred to the management of irregular immigration, in which PSOE and PP are incapable of reaching an agreement that would make it possible to deal with the tens of thousands of people who have arrived on Spanish soil over the course of 2024. Felipe VI defended the effort of "integration, respect for the laws and basic rules of coexistence and civility". Also the "recognition of the dignity that every human being deserves". All of this without forgetting the fight against the mafias that traffic in people. "The way in which we are able to deal with immigration will say a lot in the future about our principles and the quality of our democracy", he said to conclude this section of his speech.

With regard to the problem of access to housing in affordable conditions, he made a new appeal to politicians, to whom he said it was crucial that "the actors involved" reflect and listen to each other so that dialogue leads to solutions. "We can really do it," he said.

Finally, Felipe VI called for the care of young people, the same who "undertake" despite the difficulties that this represents and who are at the forefront of Spanish science. It is also "the one that is most determined to demand advances in equality" and the one that "has filled us with pride by turning out en masse to give their best in the streets of the towns affected by the Dana".