WATCH: Furious Residents in Spain’s Canary Islands Barricade Roads to Protest Arrival of Migrants

The residents of Tunte, in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Canary Islands), have taken to the streets to prevent the Delegation of the Government of the Canary Islands from transferring 71 migrants to a migration facility. The centre is located in the middle of town and they are due to be transferred there as they have been sleeping on the Arguineguin pier.

The residents have erected barricades at the entrances of the centre with garbage containers, wooden pallets and tree branches. They want to prevent the migrants from spending two weeks of quarantine in town. They are especially opposed to the 13 migrants who, as confirmed by the Ministry of Health, have tested positive for COVID-19. “We are not unsupportive people, on the contrary. Until today, 80 immigrants lived in the home and they are already fully integrated with the locals,” explains Samuel Henriquez, the mayor of San Bartolome de Tirajana.

Neighbours have been mobilizing themselves through social networks. “Tirajaneros, we must go out onto the streets, we have to unite, we have to stop this injustice for our people. This afternoon the first infected and quarantined immigrants are due to arrive, the poor immigrants are not to blame, but we are not prepared for this”, this is one of the messages that the neighbours have published in their internet accounts.