Around 2,500 people took part in rallies in the main cities of the Canary Islands on Sunday against irregular migration, which has seen a huge increase in boats washing up on its shores.
According to Spain’s EFE news agency, over 1,000 people rallied in Tenerife’s Santa Cruz and around 1,500 in Gran Canaria’s Las Palmas. The rallies were called by groups that link immigration with crime and problems in social services.
In July this year, lawyers asked the authorities to ban similar protests in the Canary Islands on the grounds that they could constitute a hate crime. The request was rejected, allowing the protests to continue.
On Sunday, some protesters carried placards critical of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has advocated an approach that would see paths to legal immigration created. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez argues for Europe to be ‘open & prosperous’, not ‘closed & poor’.
According to a report in El Diario.es, the premise on which the protests were organised has been refuted with data by the Canary Islands’ chief prosecutor, María Farnés Martínez Frigola, who on Friday stated that no relationship had been noted between the increase in crime and immigration on the islands.
Located off the coast of northwest Africa, the Canary Islands are a particular target for people setting sail in badly equipped boats in search of a better life in Europe.
Thousands have died attempting the perilous Atlantic crossing in recent years, while the islands’ government has said it can’t cope with the influx.
Along with Italy and Greece, Spain is one of the three major European gateways for migrant arrivals.
Despite the frequent deaths, the Atlantic route has gained in popularity as it is less policed than the Mediterranean.
Almost 40,000 migrants entered the Canary Islands in 2023, a record on course to be broken this year.
Up to 15 October, 32,878 irregular migrants arrived in the archipelago by sea, compared with 23,537 in the same period last year, according to Interior Ministry figures.
Miles de persona vinculan inmigración y delincuencia en sendas manifestaciones en las dos capitales canarias
Más de mil personas, según datos de Delegación del Gobierno, se movilizaron en Santa Cruz de Tenerife y unas 1.500 en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.https://t.co/2Axenunnbl
— EFE Canarias (@EFE_Canarias) October 27, 2024
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