The Minister of the Environment, Elena Solís, has filed a complaint this Monday in the duty court to bring to the attention of the authorities the "dozens of insults" and "serious threats" that she claims to have received during this weekend through social networks.
"The rain of insults, threats and disqualifications that have been poured on me are not accidental, they are part of a clearly orchestrated campaign of targeting and discrediting. This campaign has also been reported in case it could be a crime of incitement to hatred," explains the Minister.
"This is a campaign clearly manipulated by which they wanted to point me out as the sole responsible for the non-authorization of the 'Islands of the Volcanoes' dirt rally with false arguments, half-truths and omission of key information to understand the events that made it totally impossible to authorize said test," adds Solís.
The Minister feels "obliged to clarify" certain important aspects
Elena Solís has also pointed out that she feels "obliged to clarify" what in her opinion are "certain important aspects" of what happened with the Rally:
"The Environment was not the only area of the Island Council to issue a negative report on the motor race. The office of the Island Territorial Planning Plan, dependent on the Territorial Policy area directly managed by the Presidency of the Island Council, also did so twice," explains Solís, who points out that the first of these reports was included "on February 23," while the second "was requested by the presidency on April 27 and included on the same day 28."
Solís assures that there was no "threat to break the pact" from Podemos to the PSOE at any time. "As assured by a WhatsApp audio that circulated through different groups and to which Coalición Canaria gave credibility by disseminating that information in a press release. That is directly a hoax and a defamation towards my colleagues from Podemos, who have been singled out and insulted for something they never did," adds the Minister.
"The rally was not canceled by the Island Council, as you cannot cancel what was never authorized. The organizers knew the content of the first report from the Government of the Canary Islands on the same day that document entered the Environment area, on April 21, in a meeting in which we were very clear about the impossibility of holding the test as it was planned, since it presented problems in 6 of the 8 sections. If someone gave false hope to the promoters of the event, it was not me or anyone on my team," Solís continues explaining.
Solís assures to "strictly comply with the laws" of environmental protection
"Having said all this, I deeply regret that the legitimate political debate and the very democratic dissent of opinions has led to a witch hunt and a verbal beating towards me. These attitudes should not have a place in a plural, civilized and advanced society like the society in which we are lucky enough to live," points out Solís.
The Minister adds that the step from activism to the front line of institutional politics "is a natural and coherent step, as social organizations, groups and associations constitute a fundamental pillar of public life and are the engine that drives the brave policies that make this island advance."
"I took that step to try to do the right thing at all times, strictly comply with the laws and procedures that aim to protect the natural environment, the territory and biodiversity. The environmental management of the island is a pending task and a historical deficiency that has been systematically denounced by the organized civil society of Lanzarote, from the unforgettable demonstration of September 27, 2002 led by the Lanzarote Forum to the last march against climate change that was led by the young people of the island," she adds.
"In the defense of the only home we have, unpopular decisions must be made, but customs and habits must adapt to the survival of all beings that inhabit Lanzarote and the entire planet. The tensions and resistance that these drastic changes can generate must be managed from empathy, care and pedagogy, never with insult and intimidation," justifies Solís.
On the other hand, the Minister of the Environment points out that fortunately, the expressions of "support and affection" that they have received these days "are more powerful than the senselessness and barbarism of that noisy minority.
"Thank you all for the encouragement and the push. We continue forward, for Lanzarote, its future and all the life it welcomes," concludes Solís.
