Thousands of people gathered in Santiago de Compostela to denounce the management of the plastic pellet crisis by regional authorities. The demonstrators believe that more must be done to fight against the pollution caused.
Hundreds of thousands of white plastic balls have washed up on the coast of northern Spain after escaping from a container ship sailing in Portuguese waters last month. On January 9, local authorities declared a state of environmental emergency.
The demonstrators gathered in the Galician capital notably called for a “plastic-free ocean”. Many opposition figures running in the regional elections on February 18 were present in the procession.
Galician authorities and those of the neighboring region of Asturias, also affected by the crisis, have asked the Spanish government for help.
The country’s attorney general’s office opened an investigation, fearing the potential toxic consequences of these pellets on food safety.