The environmental gathering planned for this Saturday at Teide, organised by ‘Canarias has a limit’, has been postponed by the ecological groups leading it. This follows the Government’s sub-delegation conditioning the protest permit on prior authorisation from the Tenerife Council. Organisers accuse authorities of employing a “legal ploy” to hinder the right to protest.
According to a statement by the Tinerfeñan Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN), the event was symbolic and peaceful, aimed at highlighting the issue of tourist overcrowding and the environmental impacts on Teide National Park.
Postponement of 18M March in Tenerife by ‘Canarias has a limit’ / Arturo Jiménez
Ecologists Decry Administrative Obstacles
The postponement, they assert, is not due to an outright ban but an administrative manoeuvre by the sub-delegation, which demanded authorisation from the Council—a body directly criticised in the protest for its “poor management of the protected natural area”.
The ecological groups complain that this requirement was communicated at the last minute, making it impossible to hold the protest on the planned date. They add that without the Council’s authorisation, the sub-delegation threatened coercive measures and sanctions.
Criticism of the Tenerife Council and its President
Organisers also criticise Rosa Dávila, President of the Tenerife Council, accusing her of distorting facts and using the conflict as a political weapon against the central Government. According to the statement, the decision about a legitimate protest lies with the Council, which simultaneously allows large events like the Tenerife Bluetrail, film shoots, commercial visits, and activities that reportedly harm Teide’s ecosystem.
They further warn of the lack of effective monitoring against frequent illegal activities, such as unauthorised camping, nighttime motor vehicle routes, irregular accesses to the peak, or damage to geological and natural heritage.
The convening groups insist that they are being silenced and delegitimised in their right to protest and do not rule out taking legal action for what they consider a violation of fundamental rights.
