“Lanzarote Hunters Refute Oswaldo Betancort: There Are No Lies or Videos to Conceal His Poor Management and Neglect of the Community”
“They Feel Deceived and Manipulated by a President More Concerned with Whitewashing His Ineptitude and Improving His Image”
The PSOE of Lanzarote has responded to the grievances of the island’s hunters, who gathered outside the Cabildo Insular on Saturday to denounce the deception and manipulation imposed by President Oswaldo Betancort. Over 300 people attended the event, where they signed a manifesto to be submitted to the island institution.
Socialist councillor Benjamín Perdomo expressed his support for the group and harshly criticised Betancort’s strategy: “This year, four days of rabbit hunting and five days of partridge hunting have been reduced. Yet, Oswaldo appeared in a video with the Canary Islands Government councillor announcing an extension of hunting days due to a rabbit plague affecting agriculture. Once again, this is a lie and a new deceit that undermines the trust of a sector that deserves respect.”
The councillor described it as “utter shamelessness” that, in the past five weeks, hunters have requested up to seven meetings without being addressed by the president of the Cabildo. “And now, only after the mobilisation of 300 hunters, they announce that they will open Haría. That is not respect; it is pure opportunism and an improvised attempt to respond now that the sector has demonstrated they have been deceived,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Perdomo highlighted the unjustified delays in opening the training field, which was set to commence in March but opened a month late. “This is yet another example of the improvisation and mismanagement we have come to expect from this government.” He also pointed out that the crossing field for partridge hunters, which was permitted in the previous legislature, has now been closed.
For the socialist councillor, hunters have historically been a group that has successfully coexisted with the natural environment and built bridges with the primary sector, “aware of the importance of maintaining a balance that allows for the protection of the territory and agricultural activity.”
In this context, Perdomo emphasised that the PSOE of Lanzarote rejects “the criminalisation and ongoing attacks on hunting activities” and demands that the Cabildo finally listen to the sector’s claims. “What is needed is to provide solutions, open dialogue, and ensure certainties. What is not needed is the continued deceiving of hunters, nor is it acceptable to mislead farmers or the residents of this island.”
