Tense moments arose as people queued to claim a seat in the section reserved for the public of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to witness Armed Forces Day in the capital for the first time in 39 years. Early attendees reported arriving near the Ermita de Regla around 5:00 am. At this early hour, access was granted to one of two stands set up by the Santa Cruz Council. The first, larger stand had about 700 seats, while the second was located near the Tenerife Adán Martín Auditorium.
The tension was particularly high at the Ermita de Regla. By 5:00 am, almost half the stand was filled with those who arrived without an invitation, choosing to rise early to secure a spot. Security services arrived around 8:30 am, preventing further public access. However, nearly half of the 700 seats were occupied by locals eager to enjoy the Armed Forces Day.
After 9:00 am, tensions escalated. Official guests from the Santa Cruz Council arrived, only to find the stand half-occupied by uninvited individuals. This prompted the city officials to deploy staff to persuade the early arrivals at the 700-seat Ermita de Regla stand to vacate the premises.
This resulted in conflicts and a firm refusal from those who had staked their claim early. By 10:00 am, the area presented a divided scene, with both invited and uninvited guests occupying two-thirds of the seats, as the arrival of official guests was anticipated around half past ten for the Ermita de Regla and Auditorium stands.
The seating area allocated on Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s main avenue was reserved for City Council invites, comprising roughly 1,000 seats distributed as 720 at the Ermita de Regla stand and 300 at the auditorium. As a side note, the pursuit of shade led to movement within the stands. Initially, both official and unofficial guests gravitated towards the Ermita’s shaded area, with the shade gradually shifting towards the auditorium stand as the day progressed, prompting attendees to follow accordingly.
Officials were monitoring the situation, contemplating the next steps if uninvited attendees refused to vacate and capacity became an issue. City sources acknowledged that some space was intentionally left for additional potential guests.
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