Tenerife (Canary Islands), July 27, 2025 (SPS) – The Canary Association for Friendship with the Sahrawi People organized Saturday a solidarity demonstration and march in Tenerife (Canary Islands), expressing support for the Sahrawi people’s struggle for freedom, independence.
The event coincided with the arrival of a group of Sahrawi children from refugee camps as part of the Holidays in Peace program, organized by the Spanish Solidarity Movement.
The march, organized under the slogan "For a Free and Peaceful Western Sahara," moved through the streets of La Laguna, with protesters raising banners demanding freedom for the Sahrawi people, respect for human rights, and an end to the illegal plundering of Western Sahara's natural resources.
Protesters also denounced the stance of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who supports the so-called Morocco’s autonomy proposal, while calling on the Spanish government, the European Union, and the international community to expedite the implementation of UN resolutions regarding a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara.
The march concluded with the reading of a joint statement by the Canary Association for Friendship with the Sahrawi People and the Tenerife Solidarity Movement, reaffirming continued support for the Sahrawi struggle and condemning the inaction of the United Nations and the Security Council in fulfilling their responsibilities to end the decades-long occupation.
The statement also held Morocco accountable for its failure to comply with international law and its refusal to implement the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. It further condemned the looting of natural resources by the occupying forces and foreign companies, including Spanish firms.
Additionally, the statement emphasized the urgent need to release all Sahrawi political prisoners held in Moroccan jails and to halt human rights violations in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
The demonstration saw broad participation from members of the Canary Solidarity Movement, Sahrawi community associations in Tenerife, and the Canary Association for Friendship with the Sahrawi People. Also in attendance was the Polisario Front representative in the Canary Islands, along with host families of children participating in this year’s Holidays in Peace program.
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