SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 13th March (EUROPA PRESS) –
The PSOE representative in the Arona City Council, Raquel García, strongly criticized on Wednesday the lack of action by the council, the Cabildo of Tenerife, and the Government of the Canary Islands in response to the eviction of over 200 individuals from an unfinished building in the Coast of Silence.
She also called upon the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, and the mayor, Fátima Lemes, to “take on the responsibilities that are rightfully theirs” after almost a year of leading their respective institutions, instead of continuously trying to shift blame onto the PSOE.
In contrast, she points out that her party “has demonstrated a different approach in dealing with humanitarian crises, such as the collapse of the ‘Julián José’ building in Los Cristianos or the provision of a field hospital for homeless individuals during the mandatory lockdown in the pandemic.”
She also cited a “particularly poignant case” of the planned eviction of the ‘Aloe’ building in El Fraile, which was initially a public property, then sold by the Canarian Coalition government to a private investment fund. The Arona City Council, under the leadership of the PSOE, managed to repurchase the building, allowing the families to remain in their homes.
The socialist representative pointed out that “the reality is that two hundred people have been left out on the streets without any assistance from either of the two institutions, such as providing temporary shelters or other facilities as an emergency measure, to treat people with dignity. This has not happened during the PSOE’s term in office, but they are now failing to act.”
Raquel García also highlighted that although the building had been abandoned for decades, “the socialist government group was the only one that took action, initiating proceedings to compel the owners to fulfill their duty of maintenance, as they are obligated to keep the property in good condition.”
However, she emphasized that “the eviction order and its execution have now taken place without any action from the local or regional authorities.”
The mayor explained that during the wildfires last summer, “the council activated a municipal pavilion to accommodate affected animals without any prior assessment or technical report. Yet, the same assistance given to animals back then is being denied to people now.”
