Thousands of people in the Canary Islands took to the streets this Saturday in a unified call for a change in the mass tourism model that has impacted the socioeconomic conditions of the archipelago. The demonstrations, held under the slogan ‘The Canary Islands have a limit’, took place on all the islands except La Palma, where it was scheduled for later in the day. Similar demonstrations were also held in various Spanish and European cities.
The earliest demonstration was in the capital of Spain, where Canarians gathered in Puerta del Sol to criticize an economic model that they feel is forcing them out of their own land. The protests continued throughout the archipelago, with large crowds marching in places like Las Palmas and Santa Cruz of Tenerife. The focus of the protests was initially on the exhaustion of the islands’ economic engine, but the discussion has since expanded to include issues such as poverty, low wages, rental prices, and environmental concerns.
The protests in the Canary Islands are driven by a desire for change and a reevaluation of the current economic and tourism models that have shaped the archipelago. Participants are calling for measures such as a moratorium, an ecotax, and regulations on the purchase of property by foreigners. The demonstrations signal a growing discontent among residents about the impact of mass tourism and economic policies on the islands.