Santa Cruz de Tenerife 8 Apr. (Press Europa) –
The organisations united under the ‘Canary Islands have a limit’ banner have declared on Tuesday that they will stage demonstrations across all the islands in May to express their dissatisfaction with the “inaction” of public authorities regarding the need for a shift in the archipelago’s economic model.
In a collective statement, they emphasise that the institutions “still do not accept their responsibilities, and the situation has only deteriorated,” as the existing economic model “favours mass tourism, destruction, and speculation, which continues to ravage the territory and jeopardises the livelihoods” of those residing in the archipelago.
Furthermore, they note that “despite the widespread outcry last April across all the islands, the Government of the Canary Islands has failed to implement any appropriate measures to address the emergency” and has not established “genuine channels for dialogue nor demonstrated a political willingness to listen.”
In the meantime, they point out, “tourist pressure is escalating, inequality is rising, urban speculation is left unchecked, the islands are on the brink of collapse, and environmental repercussions are worsening.”
According to the groups, “our reliance on tourism is increasingly pronounced, housing has become more unaffordable than ever, poverty and social exclusion continue to escalate, we are losing our unique natural heritage at an alarming rate, and large-scale projects serving foreign interests persist.”
They assert that “in the Canary Islands, we have surpassed all limits; if the institutions fail to take action, the people will step in,” and in the face of an “extractive” model that “forces out” the Canaries from the archipelago, they advocate for “roots, sustainability, care, cooperative solutions, and the right” to reside.
