Some float builders who participated in the Arrecife parade have shown their discomfort because their floats were removed and detained for "almost an hour" after the parade had already started, after a technician from the Cabildo detected "visibility problems" in them. "It didn't sit well," said one of those affected, who stated that "physical aggression" could have occurred.
"I don't think they are demanding too much security, which I never see as too much, but I think what the technicians did is the opposite of what is asked of us," said Acaymo Martín, from the 'Mee and Me' float, which was one of those affected. And, in his opinion, having to "reverse" when "a float does not have rear view cameras" further reduces "security".
"Because I was taken out of the parade 20 meters after the start," criticized this float builder, who believes that "the inspection should have been done in the parking lot" and not after the start. In addition, Acaymo Martín believes that "the visibility would not be null" if the problem was finally solved "by putting two Civil Protection people" on the sides of the float so that they could finally parade.
"What they were doing was making a fuss and the people, with two drinks at 7:30 p.m., who have been drinking since five, if you add to that the euphoria of Carnival and the adrenaline, a physical aggression could be seen. It's not to pat myself on the back, but I put my hand on the chest of more than one float builder and told them to go over there," said the driver of the 'Mee and Me' float, who pointed out that "people got emotional from nerves" and that some even "started to cry". "Because it was impotence, they couldn't do what they were doing," added this affected person.
"The floats arrive with just enough time"
For his part, the manager of the Security and Emergency Consortium, Enrique Espinosa, explained that if the inspection was not carried out earlier it was because "there was no material time." "Being a working day, the floats arrive with just enough time and we have to review everything in record time," said Espinosa.
"We divided into four groups, the group of officials who reviewed the municipal floats, and the other three groups, made up of three technicians, three firefighters and three police officers, who did the same with the private floats," said the manager of the Security and Emergency Consortium, who explained that it was a technician from the Cabildo's Office of Classified Activities who "seeing them coming", saw that six of them had "visibility problems".
"And when detecting that problem, the engineer has to make decisions and made that decision, removed them and took corrective measures," said Enrique Espinosa, who believes that "first is security and then the party." However, the manager of the Security and Emergency Consortium has recognized that "they need more hours" to inspect the floats and that "this should be improved." "That the parade be done on a holiday and have more time to inspect," said Espinosa, who also wanted to make it clear that it is "a municipal competence" although for years "the Consortium has assumed it".
"The Consortium must also put pressure on the Arrecife City Council"
However, the affected float builders claim that they "saw a bit of contempt" only towards their floats. "Because I even saw floats with less visibility or the same as ours, which they let pass," said Acaymo Martín.
"And when returning to the parade, a float that was the last to leave and that had a group of masquerades behind, when the driver reversed almost ran over 10 children, almost put them under the float, because there is no warning, there is no security protocol," added this float builder, who believes that "the people of the Arrecife City Council who control the departure of the parade are very incompetent" and that "they are not qualified".
"And the technicians cannot only demand security from us," added Acaymo Martín, who believes that the Consortium should also "put pressure on the City Council." "Because if they let us leave at 4.5 meters high, then there cannot be a tree that invades the road at three meters," said this float driver, who has demanded "coherence" in this regard.
