The Committee for Peace in Tenerife has called for a demonstration against “racism, hate speeches, rumours, and racial discrimination. The gathering will take place this Saturday, 6th of July, at Plaza de La Concepción, in La Laguna.
“I am from Mali and came to Spain to study”, “I am from Senegal and came to Spain to work”. This is how a video spread by the association Hay Raíces starts, calling on society to mobilise this Saturday: “It’s not enough to not be racist, we must be anti-racist.”
The audiovisual piece, which has already gathered over twenty thousand views, consists of testimonials from people from Senegal and Mali. Through the video, they deliver a clear message to the audience: “I am in Spain to work” or “I came to study”.
The previous statements are joined by two individuals from the Canary Islands: “We are Canarians and know our history. We are Canarians and want a society free of hate and racism.”
[–>A fight for “unity”
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The association Hay Raíces works to provide support and assistance to migrant individuals in Tenerife and El Hierro. Their president, Lucía Rodríguez, states that attending the rally is “necessary to combat racism, discrimination, and misinformation”. It is “a fight we must join.”
Additionally, Rodriguez points out that, at Hay Raíces, they support the demonstration organised by the Committee for Peace in Tenerife because they believe in a Canary Islands that is “united, humanitarian, reaching out a helping hand to those in need” and adds that, on this occasion, those in need are “individuals who risk their lives at sea to achieve their goal of finding a better future“.
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This Saturday’s rally presents an opportunity “to demonstrate who and how we are the people living in the Canary Islands, an opportunity for fascism not to take to the streets,” she concludes.
