More than 200 individuals and 26 organisations—including Sumar, Podemos, and the trade unions UGT and CCOO—have supported a complaint lodged this Friday with the Superior Prosecutor’s Office of the Canary Islands, requesting that the Attorney General investigate the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, for an alleged hate crime for calling for the confiscation and sinking of the Open Arms vessel.
The complainant, Vicente Quintana, remarked to Europa Press that Abascal’s statements are a “fascist barbarity” that represent an “incitement to hatred and violence, and that is something that cannot be tolerated.”
He pointed out that the ship—which will be in the Canary Islands for two months to raise awareness about the Atlantic immigration route—“is not a slave ship” but is “dedicated to rescuing human beings who are risking their lives.”
He also stated that Abascal’s wishes constitute a “textbook” hate crime, which is why they want the Prosecutor’s Office to “take action” and conduct an investigation.
“These issues cannot be tolerated for even a minute longer,” he stressed, highlighting incidents like the “witch hunt” that occurred in Torre Pacheco and the assaults at minor reception centres.
For Quintana, this is a “continuing trend” that cannot be permitted, so since the Attorney General is not intervening, civil society must take action and give the institution a “shake-up.” “This level of confrontation cannot be allowed,” he added.
