Voicing “injustice” and “no to the closure”, around thirty traders from the Santa Cruz Rastro staged a protest this morning outside the City Hall of the capital. This demonstration coincided with a municipal control committee meeting being held inside, where they expressed their discontent with the decree issued the day prior by the council, which called for a halt to trading activities at their current site adjacent to the Nuestra Señora de África Market, effective from this Sunday.
This decision is reportedly based on technical and police evaluations indicating ongoing breaches of municipal regulations and the illegitimacy of certain practices occurring within this well-known market.
As reported by DIARIO DE AVISOS, the anticipated closure of the Rastro next to Recova may be mitigated by relocating to a new site. According to Carlos Tarife, the Councillor for Public Services, the plan is to move it to the car park of the esplanade on Marítima Avenue, directly opposite the Treasury Delegation, where it had previously operated during the Covid pandemic.
Meanwhile, Carmen Tejeda, the president of the Rastro Association, condemned the City Council’s decision as “unjust”, particularly noting that it was made “without prior notification to those concerned.” She asserted that “we cannot all suffer because of the actions of a few,” implying that the current situation is the result of a campaign orchestrated by Councillor Tarife, who had previously sought to change the market’s location to accommodate certain local interests during his electoral campaign.
Tejeda further remarked, “the Rastro is secure, and we comply with municipal regulations, yet they wish to treat us like criminals, as if we were part of a mafia. It is a heartbreaking situation because we have had more than 3,500 members in our Association for 35 years. Now, without any notice of this suspension, 412 families are left without jobs and unable to provide for their children.”
Although an urgent meeting has been convened this afternoon with representatives from the Santa Cruz Rastro, including the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, as well as Councillor Carlos Tarife and technicians from Security and Planning, the councillor stated, “we wish for the Rastro to continue, but not in its current form, which is plagued by repeated violations, including incorrect license placements, unauthorized vehicle access to pedestrian zones, and blocking emergency routes, alongside incidents of vandalism such as fire extinguisher thefts, among others. These issues are documented in reports from the company responsible for the Self-Protection Plan of the Rastro and by the Local Police.”
In response to sellers’ requests for the City Council to delay the closure until after the Christmas period, Tarife was forthright, stating that “this request is not viable, as we have previously held three discussions with the Rastro board, issuing them minor ultimatums concerning the untenable nature of the situation, which has ultimately resulted in this suspension, supported by reports from the Local Police and other parties that demonstrate the current site of the Rastro is not the most suitable. Thus, we do not envision agreeing to this request now put forth by the merchants.”
In this context, the mayor reiterated that “the aim is to relocate the Rastro to the new site on Marítima Avenue by the end of the month, with a commitment to ensuring all control and safety measures are in place. Additionally, the three Sundays during which it remains closed will be recuperated later.”
