Around 35 vendors from the Rastro of Santa Cruz de Tenerife protested this Sunday to demand the return of the market to the blue stalls. The Save the Rastro Platform claims that the relocation has harmed both business and tradition.
A group of vendors from the Rastro of Santa Cruz de Tenerife took to the streets again this Sunday to demand the return of the market to its original location, at the blue stalls next to the Mercado Nuestra Señora de África. The demonstration, called by the Save the Rastro Platform, gathered about 35 people, according to the organisers, and marched through the city centre chanting slogans like “The Rastro is not for sale, it is loved and defended”, a phrase that borrows the spirit of protests against the tourism model in the Canary Islands.
A Sunday of demands through the streets of Santa Cruz
The march began at the Plaza de España, went up Calle Castillo, continued over the Serrador Bridge and passed through the blue stalls before concluding at the site where the Rastro is currently held. During the route, the protesters chanted slogans such as “The Rastro should return to its former location”, “People, listen, the Rastro is in the fight” and “Don’t just watch us, join us”. There were also messages directed at the Councillor for Markets, José Antonio Tarife, with the shout “Show your face, Tarife”.
The group claims that the relocation of the market, which took place months ago, has resulted in a deterioration of both commercial activity and the tradition of visiting the Rastro. According to the vendors, the new location has reduced the number of visitors and made it harder for the stalls to operate. “They relied on reports that we have never seen, and we believe that all vendors have been blamed for specific issues that belong to particular individuals,” explained Marcos Brito, spokesperson for the platform.
Four months of fighting for tradition
The Save the Rastro Platform was formed four months ago, although its members had already participated in protests during the pandemic demanding the reopening of the market. Brito asserts that the group is not opposed to any changes, but insists that the Rastro must return to its historical space. “The Rastro belongs to the people, don’t take away what is ours,” was another of the slogans heard during the protest.
For the residents of Santa Cruz, the Rastro is not just a market: it is a weekly event that is part of the urban and social landscape of the city. Returning to the blue stalls next to the Mercado Nuestra Señora de África would help restore the flow of pedestrians that animated the area and which, according to the vendors, has been lost with the move. Local shopkeepers have also been affected, as the Rastro attracted customers who then shopped in nearby stores.
This Sunday’s demonstration is the second organised by the platform, which does not rule out further mobilisations if the City Council does not address their demands. So far, Councillor Tarife has not made any public statements regarding the protest, although municipal sources claim that the local government is open to dialogue. The vendors, for their part, hope that public pressure will help the Rastro regain its essence. “The Rastro is not for sale, it is loved and defended,” they repeat.
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