Thousand People Demonstrate in León Demanding Counselor's Resignation

As a conclusion to the mobilization, a manifesto was read demanding the dismissal of the councilor, a year-round public fire-fighting service, a green employment plan for rural villages, the reopening of medical offices, a rural housing plan, and sufficient aid for those who lost their livelihoods or property in this summer's fires and in previous years. "We are seeing how the waters are becoming contaminated with all the mud that is arriving," he stressed and added that the Junta "has no respect for public services." All the convening organizations referred to the mining accident suffered this week in Asturias, in which two workers died; one of them a resident of the Leonese town of Caboalles de Abajo. "Respect is not negotiable, it is not begged for, it is not requested, it is a right we have inherently and today we are here to demand respect for our Autonomous Community, for all the territories that have unfortunately been devastated by fires this summer, and it is society's demand to the Junta; something it has not had," he stated, as reported by Ical. The president of the Junta, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, and the counselor for the Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning, Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones, were chanted at with calls for their resignation by the protesters, who also shouted slogans such as 'Fewer bullfighters and more firefighters', 'Ecocide by omission', 'Fires are put out in winter' or 'El Bierzo burns and Quiñones celebrates'. The coordinator of United Left in Castilla y León, Juan Gascón, demanded the resignation of the counselor for the "disastrous" management of the fires" and commented that the coalition defends "putting priority on people and mountains above the priority of companies that are taking juicy profits from the Community", in addition to asking "that the mountains of Castilla y León be cared for in winter." Similarly, the coordinator of Podemos in Castilla y León, Miguel Ángel Llamas, pointed out that "it is a lack of respect that the Mañueco government delayed more than 11 years in approving the Civil Protection Plan for Forest Fire Emergencies in Castilla y León, Infocal, and that left Castilla y León defenseless to face the fires and it is a lack of respect that Mr. Suárez-Quiñones has not assumed political responsibilities." A thousand people, according to data from the Government Sub-delegation and the Local Police, demonstrated this Sunday in the Leonese capital under the slogan 'Respect' to criticize the Junta's management of last summer's fires and demand accountability. The General Secretary of Comisiones Obreras de Castilla y León, Ana Fernández de los Muros, recalled that the conveners request "sufficient" public policies and what happened this summer has shown "the shortcomings in the rural areas of Castilla y León and it is essential that there is a public prevention and extinction service for fires that is capable of controlling the climate emergency." "After 38 years of environmental policies that conceive our land as a territory of exploitation, with a councilor who before leaving is signing licenses for mega-farms, biogas plants, without studying the aquifers or the treatment of waste, we demand the resignation of councilor Suárez-Quiñones and we advocate for a change in the form of government and in how we have to manage our land," asked Mariana Echevarría, of the Sumar Movement in Castilla y León. Cristina Fulconi, spokesperson for the Intersindical de Castilla y León, pointed out that the group also asks for respect for public services. The mobilization, convened by CCOO, PSOE, Sumar, IU, Podemos, Intersindical and the Confederation of Neighborhood, Consumer and User Associations of Castilla y León (Cavecal), brought together 25 organizations. The march set off from the Plaza de San Marcos accompanied by numerous flags, signs and banners in a lively route led by the leaders of the promoting entities, including the general secretary of the PSCL, Carlos Martínez, who criticized the "lack of soul, lack of commitment, lack of means of an absolutely deaf government to the demands we are all raising in each of the territories of this Community." Accompanied by the vice-general secretary, Nuria Rubio, and the secretary of Organization, Daniel de la Rosa, the candidate for the Presidency of the Junta also demanded "respect from Mr. Quiñones and Mr. Mañueco." "Right now we are denouncing everything that happened this summer with the fires, everything that has happened throughout this quarter, the lack of foresight of what was coming with the rains."