Fuming locals have dumped their rubbish outside Malaga City Hall to protest against ‘poor cleaning services’ – which they claim favours tourist areas while ignoring working class neighbourhoods.
The entrance to the government building was covered in trash bags on Wednesday morning as part of the action organised by Málaga Habitable, Verde Sostenible / Por unos Barrios Dignos platform (Malaga Habitable, Green Sustainable / For Dignified Neighbourhoods).
The group, Malaga Ha Vesos for short, claims certain neighbourhoods have been neglected when it comes to prioritising cleaning and rubbish collection, demanding the situation be resolved before the city’s feria in August.
The protest was called by around 20 activists who accuse the City Council of concentrating cleanup efforts in wealthier central areas and tourist hotspots.
They claim local working-class districts remain ‘submerged in the most unhygienic filth.’
Among their main demands is an urgent meeting with the municipal government and a written commitment to implement a comprehensive street-by-street cleaning plan before the feria.
This includes regular sweeping with water and detergent in all of the city’s working-class neighbourhoods.
Furthermore, Malaga Ha Vesos is demanding an additional staffing increase for the Limasam team and the definition of specific objectives for each neighborhood.
In its statement, the platform insists ‘there is plenty of money’ to undertake these tasks.
It said the City Council’s budget has increased from €960million to €1.25billion in the last two years ‘with hardly any increase in staff.’
Miguel Jimenez, spokesperson for Málaga Ha Vesos, added: ‘We demand the immediate resignation of Councilor Teresa Porras for manifest negligence.
‘We believe that, given the appalling level of filth our neighborhoods are experiencing, the City Council is preparing the ground to privatize our public cleaning company.’
The platform also warned that this action is only the beginning of a possible escalation of protests:
‘Today a select delegation came. Next week there could be hundreds of protesters,’ it said.
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