The César Manrique Foundation (FCM) has managed to collect 41,000 signatures against oil exploration, from May 2012 to March 2014. The entity has obtained support from people from more than 50 different countries, although most are from Spaniards, Germans, British, French and Italians.
This was explained this Thursday by the director of foundational activities of the FCM, Fernando Gómez Aguilera, who publicly presented the support that the entity has collected against the explorations that Repsol intends to carry out and in favor of renewable energies. These signatures have been obtained through the network of supporters of the FCM's contact agenda, as well as in the museum.
Gómez Aguilera has related from which countries these supports come and there are signatures from Australia, Russia and even Iraq. The FCM will send them to the Government of Spain, the President of the Executive, Mariano Rajoy, the Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, the spokespersons of all political parties, the European Parliament and Repsol.
Gómez Aguilera pointed out that from this entity they have verified the "existence of an immediate perception in the tourist's imagination" so that the binomial exploration-Lanzarote does not fit. He also highlighted the "extraordinary" response to the 22-M demonstration in Lanzarote, which contributes to thinking that "there is still a strong will against oil platforms and in favor of clean energy." "It is a will that does not give way, is reinforced and remains firm," he said.
The FCM has taken advantage of this press conference at its headquarters, in Tahíche, to "publicly renew" its "rejection of the explorations and has recalled the risk that a possible spill would have, taking into account that the water supply for the people of Lanzarote comes from the sea. In addition, he stated that the oil industry is "incompatible" with the tourism model and has defended that there is an "accumulation of institutional and social democratic legitimacy" against oil.
The signature collection campaign continues
"What society is betting on risk, especially being a Biosphere Reserve," Gómez Aguilera asked, who considers that the Canary Islands could be an "extraordinary R&D platform in clean energy" and a "great power" in this matter. For this reason, he has asked the Ministry to "rethink, listen and promote in the Canary Islands the promotion of an alternative energy model, which favors advancing towards self-sufficiency."
The FCM will continue to collect support against oil exploration. "It is a matter of resistance and resistance can bear fruit," said Gómez Aguilera, who believes that the referendum proposed by the Government of the Canary Islands for citizens to pronounce on oil "is already done" because both institutions and society "have already rejected the explorations."
