Over a hundred individuals, led by students from the University of La Laguna (ULL), congregated this Wednesday beside the boat situated on the Guajara campus to observe Africa Day. The boat was set on fire last weekend by unidentified persons, prompting a denouncement of this vandalism as “racist and intolerable.”
The protestors encircled the remnants of the structure, which suffered severe damage, and laid flowers on one side. Several individuals addressed the crowd to condemn the incident and call for a “robust and unequivocal response” from the university administration.
Among them was the director of the African Studies Center at ULL, Víctor Martín, who expressed gratitude to the students for their prompt mobilisation in response to “an attack that had not occurred on the campus for many years.” The attack targeted “a memorial dedicated to the thousands of victims who perish every year on the Canary Islands route.”
The establishment directed by Martín had facilitated the installation of the boat during an event in May 2023, involving migrants from various nationalities who shared their experiences during the journey from the African continent to the Canary Islands.
The fire broke out last Friday around 8:00 p.m. and was extinguished promptly by firefighters.
The La Laguna Local Police are currently investigating to ascertain the individuals responsible for these incidents.
