The Platform against "Megacreuers" was created in 2019, uniting some thirty neighborhood, environmental and social entities. The Platform has called for the need to establish limits on cruise ship tourism, based on ecological, economic and social criteria. Since then, it has promoted countless actions of of denouncement, awareness and citizen participation (such as the installation of the Citizen Network of Air Quality Sensors).
One of their most impactful actions was the reception of the largest cruise in the world, aboard a traditional sailing ship. For this action, the Platform is now facing a fine of 4000 euros, which they consider unfair.
To cope with the fine and continue with their important task of political advocacy, public awareness and mobilization, they want to launch this crowdfunding campaign.
We want to denounce the disproportionality of this penalty, and make visible the importance of preserving the right to citizen participation through initiatives with a track record such as our Platform. This is why we want to denounce the injustice of the fine we have to face and mobilize the citizenship to be able to respond.
During the action, which was carried out on May 9, 2022, a boat from the "Guardia Civil" intercepted both the Verdera and the auxiliary vessel with the representatives of the media, and asked both to return to port given that the latter was carrying more people than legally permitted. That is why we are now facing this economic sanction.
We think that this fine, apart from being disproportionate, is absolutely unfair for a peaceful and civic protest like the one we carried out. When confronting other behaviours carried out by individuals with no vindictive connotations in the same context, such harsh penalties are not applied. These uncivic behaviours range from:
-Noise from party boats.
-Sea and air pollution.
-Littering.
-Anchoring on top of meadows of Posidonia
-Also popular celebrations such as those that occur with maritime processions, where there are also overloads of boats.
This injustice today is against us, but tomorrow it can be against any other collective, entity or person who represents a critical voice to the hegemonic model. We launched this crowdfunding campaign to raise the necessary funds to pay the fine and to be able to continue our advocacy, awareness and denunciation work.
We have promoted different initiatives since the creation of the Platform, some of them of awareness and citizen mobilization, and one in particular of crowdfunding, "Fora d'Escala", during the summer of last year to launch the Citizen Network of Air Quality Sensors.