Photo: AP Photo/David MeleroWhile the king and queen of Spain appeared in front of angry citizens after the catastrophic floods, where they were greeted with mud and eggs, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stayed away from the scene of the tragedy in Novi Sad.
The King and Queen of Spain were pelted with mud, eggs and other objects by angry citizens during a visit on Sunday Valencia, where at least 217 people lost their lives in devastating floods, the worst in Spain in the last few decades.
Shouts of "murderer" and "shame" were directed at King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia as they walked through the town of Paiporta - one of the hardest hit in the region. Objects were also thrown at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was soon evacuated, Spanish media reported.
Unlike the Prime Minister, the King of Spain - otherwise a relatively popular figure in that country - insisted on being among the citizens affected by the catastrophic disaster, if only to expose himself to their anger. The chief showed that he cares and sympathizes with the people in distress.
In the videos transmitted by the Spanish media, the royal couple, accompanied by bodyguards and the police, can be seen passing through a pedestrian street, where they are then overpowered by an onslaught of protesters, who showered them with insults and shouts, as well as various objects. Despite the reaction of angry citizens, the videos also show how King Felipe VI communicates with some of those present, while he even hugged some.
The royal couple, the prime minister and an official from the province of Valencia have given up further visits to the flooded areas.
Who in Serbia descends among the people?
The image of the muddy king and queen of Spain in conversation with angry citizens resonated even as far as Serbia, which these days is facing its own tragedy.
In the accident that happened on Friday in Novi Sad, 14 people lost their lives, while three were seriously injured. Immediately after the fall of the canopy at the railway station, it was announced that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, would arrive in Novi Sad. However, Vučić did not appear among the agitated citizens that day, nor in the days that followed.
Instead of at the Novi Sad train station, Vučić could be seen on Friday in a televised address in prime time, when, alone, looking directly into the camera, he demanded political and criminal responsibility. Three days later, the balance of resignations is zero.
However, the president's descents among the people in situations where he could be greeted with insults and whistles, and not staged applause, are also zero.
"Alexander the Omnipresent"
When the reconstructed Railway Station in Novi Sad was opened in July of this year, the ceremony could not pass without the President of Serbia. A few months later, when part of the same station collapsed - Vučić's absence spoke volumes.
"Vremena" journalist Andrej Ivanji wrote exactly about how the President of Serbia is doing on Friday must have been among the grieving citizens - but the fact that it did not happen is not surprising.
"In May of last year, Vučić stayed away from the scene of the unimaginable mass murder in Fishmonger in front of which the people of Belgrade shed tears and lit candles for days; it took him three weeks to visit Dubona and Malo Orasje".
The reason for the absence of a politician whose rating is most important is not difficult to find.
"There is too great a danger of whistles and cries of indignation that would dispel Vučić's self-knowledge and the media's image of him as the most beloved son of the Serbian people who is attacked only by opposition mercenaries and Šolak's journalists on assignment," writes Ivanji.
Sources: BBC/CNN
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