King Felipe delivers hard hitting Christmas speech with flood victims at its heart

12/25/2024 04:21 AM

King Felipe VI focused on the importance of supporting each other in a Christmas speech dominated by the impact of the devastating floods that hit the country earlier in the year.

The King of Spain put those hit by the ferocious weather at the heart of his address, saying that those who died or who remained missing must never be forgotten and his first wishes of the season were sent to those who now mourn and seek comfort.

The floods that hit the south and east of the country in early autumn have dominated in the months since and they were at the heart of King Felipe’s Christmas Eve speech. He spoke from the Royal Palace in Madrid, with just one photo behind him, featuring the people of Valencia as they battled the floods.

King Felipe said ”Neighbours, volunteers, civil protection teams, firefighters, security forces, Armed Forces, NGOs, and companies that organized collections and donations, even mobilizing their personnel and machinery… the help and collaboration of everyone is gradually helping the more than 800,000 people affected to gradually regain a degree of normality in their lives.”

He continued ”That solidarity in its purest sense is seen day after day in the enormous work of anonymous volunteers and public servants.”

The King of Spain also addressed the anger felt by many at the way in which help has been given by regional and central governments in the country, noting ”we have also seen – and understood – the frustration, the pain, the impatience, the demands for greater and more effective coordination of administrations. Because all these emotions – those that move and comfort and those that hurt – arise from the same root: the awareness of the common good, the expression of the common good, or the demand for the common good.”

It was a serious speech that touched on other major issues at the heart of Spanish society right now. King Felipe spoke about immigration, saying that it is a ”complex phenomenon with great social sensitivity that responds to various causes....the impact of integration is important to everyone…as is respect for laws and basic norms of coexistence and civility, and the recognition of the dignity that every human being deserves…they are the pillars that must guide us when dealing with immigration.”

In an address that contained few moments of light, Spain’s king also touched on anger around a lack of housing in the country, especially for young people, noting that ”Cities, especially large cities….generate demand that supply cannot satisfy. It is important, once again, that all those involved reflect, listen to each other and that different options are examined and that this dialogue leads to solutions that facilitate access to housing in acceptable conditions, especially for the youngest and the most vulnerable,.”

The King of Spain said ”you have heard me say it many times and I want to say it again: Spain is a great country, a nation with a momentous history, despite its dark chapters, and an example through its democratic development in recent decades, even defeating the terrorist threat that cost so many lives. It is a country with a present….filled with promise. And looking to the future, I sincerely believe that Spain has enormous potential that should give us hope, both nationally and internationally.”

That look to the future was where King Felipe ended his speech, saying ”May the solidarity that has united us in the most difficult moments continue to be present in every gesture, in every action, in every decision.”

King Felipe and Queen Letizia will spend Christmas privately with their daughters.

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