“We’re unhappy at the idea of being allowed to work in a port without special safety measures or information when an infected boat is approaching,” said Joana Batista, of a local port workers’ union, who was taking part.
Some of her colleagues have threatened to block the arrival of the cruise ship if their demands are not met.
“If the boat is going to stop here, then it can do so, but with the necessary measures in place,” she said. “Local people need to be told how this will affect them, how the passengers will be transported. We need reassurance above all.”
Nearby, watching the protest, was nutritionist María de la Luz Sedeño, who agreed with much of what the demonstrators were demanding and could barely contain her fury.
“This is the last straw when it comes to everything the people of the Canary Islands have to put up with,” she said – an apparent reference to the continuing arrival of thousands of undocumented migrants in boats from North and West Africa.
