Thousands protest environmental risks from factory, mine in Spain

Thousands of people protested in northwest Spain on Saturday against plans for a textile factory and the reopening of a copper mine. The demonstration took place in the coastal city of A Pobra do Caraminal in Galicia. People gathered both on boats and on land to voice their concerns about potential environmental damage. The protest was organized by a group called the Platform for the Defence of the Arousa Estuary. They are worried about a proposed factory by the Portuguese company Altri that would produce lyocell, a semi-synthetic textile. Protesters believe this factory may lead to pollution of the Ulloa River and the nearby Arousa Estuary. The planned factory site is in Palas de Rei, near a popular pilgrimage route that thousands use each year. In addition to the factory, the group opposes the reopening of a copper mine in Touro, which has been closed since 1986. Manoel Santos from Greenpeace expressed that the new factory could endanger the Arousa Estuary. However, a spokesperson for Altri's subsidiary, Greenfiber, insisted that the factory would follow all European Union environmental regulations and posed no risk of pollution. The regional government of Galicia has confirmed that the factory project is ecologically viable.