I have always been a left-wing person. After many years campaigning in a Spanish nationalist party, I reached a clear conclusion: if you truly want to fight for your land and for your people, you must do so from within a Canarian nationalist party, a party from here. From that moment on, I understood that this was the only real way for policies designed for the Canary Islands to be conceived, fought for, and implemented in the Canary Islands. That is authentic "zero kilometer" politics.
From a truly Canarian nationalist party, you don't hear the typical "now is not the time." Instead, you see how other communities that do support their nationalist forces achieve great agreements, budgetary allocations, and representation in the State. In the Canary Islands, however, it is still difficult to convince many that we need more strength in Madrid to achieve real progress for our land.
I always say that every time a Canary Islander gets on a plane and benefits from the 75% discount on tickets, they should remember that this achievement was the result of the joint struggle of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista, and especially of Pedro Quevedo, who achieved it for all Canary Islander residents regardless of who they voted for. This is a clear example of what is achieved when there is nationalist representation that looks out for the social majority of the Canary Islands.
However, times have changed. Nowadays, nationalism in the Canary Islands is represented by two distinct forces: on the one hand, Nueva Canarias – Bloque Canarista, which represents left-wing nationalism; on the other, Coalición Canaria, which has clearly shifted towards conservative positions.Coalición Canaria insisted time and again that it would never legitimize the far-right. But not only did it do so, it also struck a deal with Vox in Lanzarote, in the municipality of Teguise (24,000 inhabitants), and maintains similar agreements in other equally relevant municipalities in the Canary Islands such as Arona (87,000 inhabitants) and Granadilla de Abona (57,000 inhabitants). This shift distances them from a real defense of Canarian self-government by bringing into institutions those who precisely want to eliminate our institutions, our culture, and our identity
That's why, when people on the street ask me why the Canary nationalist forces don't unite, I always give the same answer: it's increasingly difficult, not for personal reasons, but for fundamental principles. The gap between a progressive, social nationalism committed to human rights and the majority of society, and another that decides to ally with the far-right and fascism and whose interests lie with the wealthy minorities, is today insurmountable.
Coalición Canaria has decided to open the door to Vox, a party that rejects rights and freedoms won by society, such as the right to abortion, the protection of the LGTBI community, or the fight for equality between men and women. Not only that: they advocate for the expulsion of millions of immigrants, fuel a discourse of hatred and division, and are committed to the recentralization of the State, denying the identity and self-government of communities like the Canary Islands
Until Coalición Canaria returns to moderation and the true essence of Canarian nationalism, there will be two antagonistic models. In Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista, we are clear about ours: progressive, humanist, and a defender of our land.
