Alex Trelinski
THOUSANDS of people formed a human chain around the Mar Menor on Saturday(August 28) in protest over tons of dead fish washing ashore.
Residents and holiday-makers joined forces some 12 days after dead fish and marine life started appearing on local beaches.
It’s impossible to work out how many people joined the chain but organisers suggested up to 70,000 demonstrators took part.
Official investigations are continuing to work out the cause of the latest environmental tragedy to hit the Murcia region lagoon.
Many of the protestors wore black clothes with full stretches of beaches bordered by demonstrators.
The event was co-ordinated by the ILP Mar Menor and Abracemos de Mar Menor groups
Some stretches of the shore like at Plaza del Espejo in Los Alcazares were so busy that a second human chain had to be formed.
Abracemos spokesman, Jesus Cutillas, said: “It was a way of saying goodbye with dignity to so many animals that have died due to human greed.”
Local protest groups have demanded that Spain’s Ecological Transistion Minister, Teresa Ribera should ban the use of fertilisers on adjoining farms and stop illegal irrigation, which is blamed for polluting the lagoon.
Ribera visited the area last week and criticised the Murcia government for not enforcing irrigation rules for decades.
Jesus Cutillas said: “ Scientists have been warning for a long time to people in power about what would happen.”
“The Mar Manor has a massive and consistent entry of nitrates and the solution to the problem is to stop 85% of that poison from getting into the water,” he added.
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