Canarias Palante denounces the "null interest" of the Canarian Government for the change of the tourist model

"They are representing a parody without doing anything real and continue to favor the economic interests of always", denounce the organizers of 20A

June 7 2024 (18:59 WEST)
April 20th Demonstration in Arrecife (Photos: Juan Mateos)
April 20th Demonstration in Arrecife (Photos: Juan Mateos)

The participatory process Canarias Palante, formed by convening groups and linked to the historical mobilizations of 20A, have denounced "the null interest" of the Government of the Canary Islands for changing an economic and social model that "is ending the quality of life of the people and our territory."

The groups that promote Canarias Palante have assured that they formally requested the Canary Islands Government to create a negotiation table that allows them to "be part of the construction of an economic and social model that is fair to people and the environment." However, this Friday they have highlighted that "the only response we receive is silence."

Canarias Palante is a participatory process promoted by more than seventy groups from all the islands to propose and articulate proposals that "allow us to live in a better Canary Islands, and that stop the destruction of our territory and our lives."

"It is a non-partisan process in which you can participate through a group or as an individual. Already around a thousand proposals from citizens have been received and hundreds of people have joined the process," they added in a statement, issued after press conferences convened in different islands of the archipelago.

"Whatever happens, the process continues forward, proposals will continue to be collected until July 31. All the contributions of citizens and groups will be put in common and will be worked on in the All the World Together Meeting that will take place in November, where citizens and groups will meet.

Among other points, the statement added that "on 20A the Canarian citizenship gave a loud and clear message: "Canarias, our house, has a limit. The demonstrations that took place throughout the Canary Islands raised a cry for an ecotax, the tourist moratorium, the limitation of housing purchase to non-residents, the paralysis of projects that violate environmental and urban planning regulations, the improvement of access to housing, the redistribution of wealth, the deterioration of natural spaces, the abandonment of the primary sector, among many other situations that have plunged our land and our people into a deep exhaustion that is making us lose quality of life."

Therefore, from Canarias Palante they have denounced "the neglect, the electoral use and the appropriation that from the political spheres is being made of the feeling of the people who mobilized on 20A to legitimize themselves, creating merely consultative working tables for a supposed change while they continue destroying the Canary Islands with their unilateral decisions and policies."

The participatory process has given as an example that after 20A, the different Canarian governments have continued with controversial projects such as Cuna del Alma, La Tejita or the Motor Circuit, all in Tenerife and currently under execution despite the "numerous irregularities that have been verified."

In La Palma, macro-projects such as the Golf course and luxury villas in La Pavona or the Dichosa Wellness Clinic spa were declared of insular interest, despite being private projects and in the midst of the intense water crisis affecting the islands.

On the other hand, the "city of cinema" Dreamland, also declared of insular interest by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, will occupy more than 100,000 square meters in Telde, while in the south of the island Lopesan has the green light to build a new 5-star hotel.

In Lanzarote, the construction of two new terminals focused on increasing the arrival of cruise ships has just begun on the coast of Arrecife, while the Canarian Government also approved a new hotel on the island.

In Fuerteventura, a hotel with a demolition order and occupying a natural space "with up to four protection figures, the RIU Oliva Beach of the Dunes of Corralejo has again evidenced the positioning of the island institutions in favor of private interest and not the general, refusing this demolition order and publicly defending the permanence of the hotel, on an island where the construction of a new hotel establishment has also just been approved."

The statement reads that "the political and economic powers of our islands want to dilute the strength of the social groups convening 20A with a consultation led by the same political officials who have brought us to this limit situation we are experiencing. A passive consultation to some experts, ignoring the requests and not allowing those of us who mobilized on 20A to participate. A consultation with which they say they will have solved the problems generated for decades by themselves, on October 15."

Thus, they have added that "in the speech of the Day of the Canary Islands, we could hear the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, highlight that in the coming months it should be elucidated "how we want to be, how we want to relate to our environment, how and how much we want to continue growing, and how and in what way we want to distribute wealth in our society."

In addition, Clavijo also stressed that it should be done through "a deep reflection and a calm debate of revision of our economic and social model." Meanwhile, the environmental group has stressed that "however, what they are doing is creating a smokescreen to get out of the way of the demands of the people who took to the streets on 20A."

At this point, they have stressed that "they are representing a parody of change of model without doing anything real and thus continue to favor the same economic interests of always. And in passing, illegitimately trying to monetize the pain of the people to get votes in the European elections on June 9."

To conclude, they have pointed out that "we know that gaining trust is difficult, but recovering it is impossible." Therefore, they have highlighted "that the time has come for decisive bets on tourist degrowth and to restructure our economy, from social and environmental justice, putting life at the center, guaranteeing the well-being of future generations. The government will not do it, but we will all do it together. Canarias is ours and the streets to raise our voices again if they do not let us participate in the decision-making about the model we want, too."

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