This week, the initiative was brought before the Canarian Parliament.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 16 Mar. (Europa Press) –
The ‘Canary Islands for Peace, against NATO and in favour of neutrality’ presented this week in the Canarian Parliament a proposal for a neutrality statute for the Canary Islands. This initiative arises from the desire to keep the islands free from military conflicts. Currently, the group aims to strengthen political and social backing within the archipelago to eventually travel to Madrid and request such recognition there.
As reported to Europa Press by Carmelo Suárez, a member of the ‘Canary Islands for Peace’ platform, this proposal has been “long overdue”, recalling that in the 1980s, a movement arose in the islands opposing Spain’s presence in NATO. “This matter stems from the people’s will for the islands to be a meeting place for international relations, and never a logistical base for attacking others,” he stated.
This spokesperson for the collective contended that if warfare were to be established in the Canarian archipelago, or if the islands were merely utilised as a “transit place” or provided logistical support for such purposes, they would inevitably become a “target” for those who perceive themselves as being attacked from here.
Carmelo Suárez further emphasised the character of the Canary Islands as a “migrant people”, embracing “to encounter other cultures” and underlining the social aspiration to maintain their “territory, air and sea” as spaces “free from military conflicts.” “It is a widely embraced Canarian vocation,” he noted.
The text of the Neutrality Statute, recently presented in the Canarian Parliament with the attendance of its president, Astrid Pérez, has garnered nearly a hundred endorsements from various social sectors, the outcome of the meetings and activities conducted. This includes support from trade unions, political groups, community movements, environmentalists, feminists, and legal experts.
This member of the ‘Canary Islands for Peace’ platform acknowledged to Europa Press that while they understand the Canarian Parliament “lacks the authority” to approve a neutrality statute for the islands, it can still express its support for such a proposal. This, he argues, is in line with the fight for peace and agreements preceding conflicts as laid out in the autonomy statute, both in its preamble and in one of its articles.
The people’s fight against ‘militarisation’
Suárez reviewed the various struggle processes of the Canarian people for peace, citing specific instances such as the mobilisations against the airbase planned for Arinaga (Gran Canaria) last century, as well as opposition to the air tracking radar in Malpaso (El Hierro).
He also mentioned that once this initiative “takes root within the community”, the aim is to carry it to Madrid, specifically to the Congress of Deputies, where they hope to secure the backing of various parliamentary groups for the approval of a neutrality statute for the islands.
When asked about the strength of the movement, Suárez described it as being firmly “popular” in nature. He stated that although there are times of varying intensity, a “permanent axis” exists: “If there is a place in the entire state where every March 12, for the past 39 years, the NATO referendum continues to be called for, it is the Canary Islands.”
This spokesperson for the platform referred to when the Canary Islands cast their “no” vote against Spain’s continued membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) during the referendum in 1986.
