Photos: Sergio Betancort
The Cabildo of Lanzarote has remembered for another year the 25 immigrants who died on February 14, 2009 when the small boat in which they were traveling to Lanzarote capsized off the coast of Los Cocoteros, in the municipality of Teguise. Of the 25 deceased, 17 were minors. The town councils of Teguise, Haría and Arrecife, represented by councilors Nori Machín, Soraya Brito and Manuel Hernández, as well as the island director of Social Welfare, Tomás Silvera, joined the tribute event held this Wednesday.
The Councilor for Immigration of the Cabildo, Patricia Pérez, together with the Councilors for Social Welfare, and Industry, Commerce and Energy of the first Island Institution, Lucía Olga Tejera and Ariagona González, this Wednesday placed a floral offering on the monolith that was built in the area to remember the victims of the tragedy.
"We have insisted on making this simple tribute because they symbolize the drama and horror of illegal immigration," said Pérez, indicating that every year millions of human beings are uprooted from their environment, from what is closest to them, risking their own existence.
"They do so fleeing poverty, violence and inequality. We cannot be oblivious to this reality. We cannot look the other way while hundreds of thousands die or eke out a living crammed into reception centers, or in makeshift settlements in the open. To the deceased our respect, to all immigrants our solidarity", added the representative of the Immigration area.